Match Reports - Senior

CONVENTIONAL wisdom tells us lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

 

Tonight Lawrie Sanchez proved otherwise. Tonight David Healy proved otherwise. Tonight Northern Ireland proved otherwise.

 

Almost a year to the day since *that* victory over England little Northern Ireland once more showed the world what they could do.

 

This time Spain were the victims.

 

Following the despair of Saturday's dismal performance against Iceland few people gave Northern Ireland any chance of a result against the Galactico's.

 

Write our wee country off at your peril.

 

Indeed, it could be argued, that this result - this victory - is a greater achievement than that of twelve months ago.

 

Twice we fell behind. Twice we equalised ...... and then came that 80th minute winner!

 

David Healy - already with two goals under his belt - got on the end of a long Maik Taylor punt to deliver a world class lob over Iker Casillas. Route One stuff it may have been - a move straight out of the Wimbledon handbook - but who cared?

 

It was no less than Northern Ireland deserved.

 

Spain had opened the scoring on 14 minutes when Barcelona's Xavi Alonso made the most of some poor defending to volley past Maik Taylor.

 

On Saturday Northern Ireland crumbled after Iceland's first goal. This wasn't Saturday.

 

Within six minutes we were back on level terms. Healy displayed true poacher qualities to nip in undetected when Alonso nodded a truly awful ball back to his keeper.

 

However Spain regained the advantage seven minutes into the second half after David Villa slotted home from a Cesc Fabregas through ball.

 

Surely that was that. Teams like Spain don't surrender a lead twice in one game.

 

They did.

 

And it was that man Healy again. Nottingham Forest's Sammy Clingan teed up a free-kick - conceded by Antonio Lopez for a foul on Keith Gillespie just outside the right side of the area - sending it low along the surface for 'Sir David' to unleash a terrific shot into the corner.

 

The pendulum very nearly swung back in favour of the visitors just nine minutes later when a Raul effort came back off an upright.

 

That would have been harsh, cruel, heartbreaking.

 

Six minutes later no-one cared.

 

"We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland but it's all the same to me. 3-2!"