Northern Ireland – Justin Devenny
Justin Devenny and Northern Ireland's World Cup qualification quest were forced to detour on Friday evening with a late 1-0 defeat against Slovakia in Košice.
After a series of impressive displays at left wing-back, the 22-year-old has established himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for Michael O'Neill's Green and White Army.
Earning his eighth start in a row – and his 10th cap overall – against Slovakia, Devenny and his young teammates struggled to carve out chances against a Slovakia side who grew in confidence.
The hosts went on two have not one, but two, second-half goals ruled out for offside – before a late corner kick was misjudged by their goalkeeper, allowing Tomas Bobcek to slam home in the first minute of stoppage time.
That result meant that Northern Ireland were out of the running for a top-two finish in Group A – but they will compete in the European play-offs as a UEFA Nations League group winner, which will be contested by 16 different teams in March 2026.
Michael O'Neill's team then finished off their league campaign in style on Monday night, returning to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Luxembourg.
Devenny was an unused substitute on this occasion, as Jamie Donley's penalty was enough to secure victory for the hosts.
Match Details:
- Fri, 14th Nov: Slovakia 1-0 Northern Ireland (Devenny played the full 90 minutes but suffered a cruel late defeat)
- Mon, 17th Nov: Northern Ireland 1-0 Luxembourg (Devenny remained an unused substitute)
