Euro 2024 qualifiers: Northern Ireland suffer sorry defeat at home to Kazakhstan

George Saville headed over for Northern Ireland at the end of the first half

Northern Ireland suffered a sorry, late 1-0 home defeat by Kazakhstan to leave their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 severely dented.

A breakaway 88th-minute goal by substitute Abat Aimbetov gave the visitors an unlikely victory.

Craig Cathcart and George Saville missed first-half headers for the injury-hit hosts, with substitute Conor McMenamin going close late on.

Northern Ireland, toothless for large parts, remain fifth in Group H.

Having opened with a 2-0 victory away to bottom seeds San Marino on Michael O'Neill's return as manager, they have now suffered three consecutive 1-0 defeats to leave them on three points from four games.

In Monday night's other Group H games, Slovenia drew 1-1 at home to Denmark and Finland thumped San Marino 6-0, to leave the Finns on top, ahead of Kazakhstan on goal difference.

While Northern Ireland were missing up to nine senior players through injury and boss Michael O'Neill was forced to play an inexperienced side, many supporters would have expected them to beat a team who sit 50 places below them in the world rankings.

O'Neill had said after Friday night's cruel 1-0 loss in Denmark that he was "not thinking about qualification" for next summer's Euro finals in Germany and the latest loss makes that a hugely difficult task with six games left to play.

The match looked to be heading for what would have been a frustrating draw for the home side when the visitors stunned Windsor Park with that late goal.

Substitute Aimbetov raced clear from the halfway line and, with Ciaron Brown and Paddy McNair looking like they would stop him, he skipped past both and showed good composure to finish low into the corner past a helpless Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Glentoran winger McMenamin came close to breaking the deadlock for Northern Ireland with what would have been a spectacular first international goal but, after cutting inside off the right, the substitute's superb left-foot strike from 25 yards was tipped over by visiting goalkeeper Igor Shatskly.

That came soon after McMenamin's first involvement after coming off the bench saw him deliver a dangerous cross from the left, with Isaac Price and the home support claiming he was pushed as he tried to meet it.

That was on 65 minutes, by which stage O'Neill was turning to his bench as he went in search of the win they probably required if they were going to have a realistic chance of qualifying.

NI fall flat after bright opening

Shayne Lavery and Conor McMenamin show their disappointment at the final whistle

Northern Ireland started the game brightly and totally dominated possession, with Trai Hume starting high from his right wing-back berth and young Man City midfielder Shea Charles dictating most of the play from centre midfield.

Hume blazed over from distance early on and striker Dion Charles, in to lead the NI attack in place of Shayne Lavery, did likewise on 12 minutes after the opportunity to shoot was presented to him by a beautiful back-heel by his young namesake.

However, Windsor Park fell silent a few minutes later when Kazakhstan launched their first attack and really should have taken the lead. Maxim Samorodov found space in the box, cut inside Hume and held off Paddy McNair to get through on goal but he somehow managed to drag his close-range shot wide.

Northern Ireland had another long-range attempt through Price before Cathcart, returning to the side after a back injury, headed over the crossbar on the stretch from close-range after McNair had done well to head a deep delivery back across the face of goal.

Saville then missed a similar chance for the home side on 44 minutes when he again headed over from close range as he stretched to meet a lovely cross from Dion Charles, who had turned his man superbly before standing up an inviting delivery.

There was still time for Kazakhstan to come close in first-half injury time, with Baktiyor Zainutdinov being given too much time in the home penalty area to pick his spot only to see his curling effort drift just wide of the far post, with NI goalkeeper Peacock-Farrell beaten.

With Northern Ireland attacking the vocal Kop end after the break, they never really regained the dominance they enjoyed at the start of a game which ultimately slipped away from them.