Isaac Price celebrated his winning goal on the Windsor Park field, surrounded by his teammates after scoring in the 60th minute.
“When it hit the back of the net, I immediately headed towards the corner flag,” Price told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.
After an unsatisfactory campaign, Price stated that the players wanted to bring joy to the fans.
The goal appeared to be a relief for both players and fans after a challenging period in which Michael O’Neill’s team lost seven of their previous nine qualifiers, with the only victories coming against San Marino.
In addition, Dion Charles doubled Northern Ireland’s lead nine minutes before the end after a precise cross from substitute Conor McMenamin.
“Since I’ve been here, there have been a few games where we haven’t really pleased the crowd,” added 20-year-old Price, who moved from Everton to the Belgian club Standard Liege during the summer.
‘Fans singing throughout the game’
“We know that one of the main aspects of our game is winning the support of the audience because they cheer loudly when we have it.
“It showed today. We went 1-0 up, and they were singing throughout the game.
“It’s also something for the fans because it must be frustrating for them when they travel away and watch us, and we’re not getting the results we should be getting. It just shows that we are capable of it.”
Northern Ireland’s seven qualifying defeats included a 1-0 loss in Denmark last June when they thought they had secured a draw, only for VAR to disallow a late Callum Marshall effort.
“In previous games, a few things have gone against us, and we’ve narrowly missed out by one goal, and we feel like we could have gotten more from those games,” continued Price.
“Especially when we went to Denmark and gave them a tough game over there. We were unlucky to lose 1-0, and that kind of sums up our campaign.”
‘Reaping rewards for hard work’ – Charles
Striker Charles’ goal in the 81st minute sealed Northern Ireland’s victory, and he said the team had “reaped the rewards after working tirelessly.”
The 28-year-old Bolton Wanderers striker had come close to putting O’Neill’s side ahead early in the game with a shot that hit the woodwork and remained a threat throughout the match, even when the visitors dominated.
“That first chance probably came a bit too soon in the game,” added Charles.z z z z z z z z z z z
“I knew if I kept getting in the right positions, I’d get another opportunity. Luckily, I was there in the end.
“We are a very young and inexperienced squad, but that gives us a lot of hope moving forward into the next campaign.
“Now it’s up to us to set those standards every single day we are on the training pitch and out there at Windsor.
“It’s about cultivating that winning mentality, and hopefully, this is just the beginning.”
