(Manchester United News)
Manchester United defender Jonny Evans helped Northern Ireland take a step closer to qualification for Euro 2016 with an important 2-1 home win over Finland on Sunday.
Evans, who still has three games to run on his suspension for United, played at centre-back throughout the triumph at Windsor Park and assumed the captain’s armband after Steven Davis went off at half-time.
Evans’ Reds team-mate Paddy McNair, who made his international debut in Wednesday’s friendly against Scotland, was an unused substitute.
Striker Kyle Lafferty scored both of Northern Ireland’s goals within the space of five first-half minutes, firstly volleying superbly into the corner and then heading home Conor McLaughlin’s cross. Berat Sadik pulled one back for the Finns in stoppage time.
The victory was a fourth in five games for Michael O’Neill’s side and puts them second in the Group F table, one point behind leaders Romania, and gives them a great chance of reaching next summer’s finals in France.
