Tonali: Italy deserved to lose to Belgium, needs time
Sandro Tonali admits Italy deserved to lose 0-2 to Belgium in the Nations League, asks for patience with a young squad and says Tottenham are alive despite results.
Athletics national side
Northern Ireland
National team · United Kingdom
«The Green and White Army»
63
Matches
20
wins
13
draws
30
losses
67–78
Goals
−11
Difference
1.1
Scored per game
Form
W
17 Nov 2025 · Home Luxembourg · 1:0
L
26 Mar · Away Italy · 0:2
D
31 Mar · Away Wales · 1:1
W
4 Jun · Home Guinea · 1:0
L
8 Jun · Away France · 1:3
W
25 Sep · Away Georgia · 1:0
Danny Blanchflower captained that team and was named Footballer of the Year for it; Harry Gregg, who had pulled survivors from the wreckage of the Munich air disaster months earlier, was picked as the tournament's outstanding goalkeeper.
The team traces back to 18 February 1882, when it lost 13–0 to England at Bloomfield. A third qualification, in 1986, closed out that generation.
Came thirty years without a major tournament, ended only in 2016, when Michael O'Neill's side reached the European Championship in France and went out in the last sixteen, having climbed to 20th in the FIFA world rankings along the way.
George Best won the Ballon d'Or while playing for Northern Ireland only 37 times — international football saw far less of him than Manchester United did, and that scarcity is part of why the caps still get counted.
Latest results
Fixtures and results| 25 Sep | UEFA Nations League |
Georgia
A
|
1:0 | W |
| 8 Jun | Friendlies |
France
A
|
1:3 | L |
| 4 Jun | Friendlies |
Guinea
H
|
1:0 | W |
| 31 Mar | Friendlies |
Wales
A
|
1:1 | D |
| 26 Mar | World Cup - Qualification Europe |
Italy
A
|
0:2 | L |
| 17 Nov 2025 | World Cup - Qualification Europe |
Luxembourg
H
|
1:0 | W |
Standing
Euro Championship - QualificationGroup stage · Group H
| # | Team | M | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Denmark
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 19:10 | 22 |
| 2 |
 Slovenia
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 20:9 | 22 |
| 3 |
 Finland
|
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 18:10 | 18 |
| 4 |
 Kazakhstan
|
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 16:12 | 18 |
| 5 |
 Northern Ireland
|
10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 9:13 | 9 |
| 6 |
 San Marino
|
10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3:31 | 0 |
Team statistics
matches counted in total: 63
63
Matches
20
wins
13
draws
30
losses
67–78
Goals
−11
Difference
1.1
Scored per game
wins
draws
losses
scored — above the line
conceded — below the line
| Metric | Total | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 63 | 28 | 35 |
| Scored | 67 | 31 | 36 |
| Conceded | 78 | 21 | 57 |
| Scored per game | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Conceded per game | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Difference | −11 | +10 | −21 |
Key players
by appearances over the last year
Patrick Kelly
Midfielder
3 Matches
Joshua Brendan David Magennis
Forward
3 Matches
Shea Emmanuel Charles
Midfielder
3 Matches
Paul Patrick Smyth
Forward
3 Matches
Callum Marshall
Forward
3 Matches
Brodie Gilmore Spencer
Defender
3 Matches
Ciaron Maurice Brown
Defender
3 Matches
Pierce Charles
Goalkeeper
3 Matches
Squad of Northern Ireland
by appearances over the last year| Number | Player | Position | Age | Matches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Patrick Kelly |
Midfielder | 3 | ||
| 21 |  Joshua Brendan David Magennis |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 19 | Shea Emmanuel Charles |
Midfielder | 22 | 3 | |
| 11 | Paul Patrick Smyth |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 8 | Callum Marshall |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 20 | Brodie Gilmore Spencer |
Defender | 22 | 3 | |
| 22 | Ciaron Maurice Brown |
Defender | 28 | 3 | |
| 1 |  Pierce Charles |
Goalkeeper | 3 | ||
| 14 |  Isaac Price |
Midfielder | 23 | 3 | |
| 15 |  Ruairi McConville |
Defender | 21 | 3 | |
| 7 |  Ethan Stuart William Galbraith |
Midfielder | 25 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Justin Devenny |
Midfielder | 3 | ||
| 10 |  J. Donley |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 5 |  Trai Hume |
Defender | 3 | ||
| 12 |  Conor Hazard |
Goalkeeper | 2 | ||
| 18 |  |
 Tom Atchison |
Defender | 20 | 2 |
| 23 |  |
 Bailey Peacock-Farrell |
Goalkeeper | 29 | 2 |
| 2 |  Terry Devlin |
Midfielder | 22 | 2 | |
| 13 |  K. Morrison |
Midfielder | 2 | ||
| 17 |  Patrick James Coleman McNair |
Defender | 2 | ||
| 18 |  Jamie Tyrrell Reid |
Forward | 2 | ||
| 9 |  C. O'Neill |
Forward | 1 | ||
| 4 |  Daniel George Ballard |
Defender | 1 | ||
| 6 |  Jordan Andrew Thompson |
Midfielder | 1 | ||
| 6 |  Jamie Carson McDonnell |
Midfielder | 22 | 1 | |
| 13 |  Kedah O'Neill |
Forward | 1 | ||
| 16 |  Alistair Edward McCann |
Midfielder | 1 | ||
| 23 |  Joshua Clarke |
Goalkeeper | 1 | ||
| 17 |  Breidan Graham |
Forward | 1 | ||
| 12 | |
 Luke Southwood |
Goalkeeper | 28 | 1 |
| 3 |  Eoin Toal |
Defender | 27 | 1 | |
| 16 |  Bradley Joseph Lyons |
Midfielder | 1 | ||
| 6 |  George Saville |
Midfielder | 1 |
Fixtures of Northern Ireland
Honours of Northern Ireland
- British Home Championship 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 60
Team news
Fernandes, Gakpo and Dorgu hit by injuries on duty
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Patrick Dorgu and Liverpool's Cody Gakpo picked up knocks during the international break's Nations League fixtures.