2 days Ago
Northern Ireland's Trai Hume (centre) and Daniel Ballard (left, back) admit they took their eye off the ball against Luxembourg Sunderland duo Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard admitted that a lack of concentration cost Northern Ireland their first away win in the Nations League on Monday against Luxembourg but both were satisfied to finish the campaign on top of the group. Promotion is very much the goal for this pair of Black Cats this season and having achieved it at international level, moving up to League B, they will now return to their clubs with the aim to keep leaders Sunderland in pole position in the Championship. In 2024, defenders Hume and Ballard have shown just how important they are to Northern Ireland and will be key performers for Michael O’Neill moving forward next year towards the World Cup qualifiers.
Speaking about the 2-2 draw against Luxembourg, having been 2-0 ahead entering the final 20 minutes and conceding twice in quick succession, no nonsense Hume said: “We are happy to top the group and get promoted, though for me personally I was disappointed we did not win the game because I felt we were the better team. “But we will take the positives from the match. We dominated for 70 minutes and then probably got a bit sloppy and complacent and they scored two goals.
That switches the game on its head. I don’t want to be too down, however, because we have topped the group and done what we set out to do at the start, so it’s job done really. “I thought Conor Bradley was a big threat and Ethan Galbraith was outstanding and we were good all over the park – just a lack of concentration in the team for five or ten minutes let them back into the game.
” Team-mate Ballard added: “We’re happy we have topped the group. That was obviously the goal at the start. We would have liked to have got a few more points but to come in first place, we are delighted.
“We did really well in the Luxembourg game up until the point when they scored (on 72 minutes) and maybe just a slight lack of concentration let them back into it. It was a mad five minutes.” Asked if Luxembourg’s two goals in three minutes will be a learning exercise for the young team, centre-back Ballard said: “Yes, definitely.
We felt the pressure at the end and I thought we did really well after their goals to sort of steady it and see the game out, so being able to do that was good for us.” On promotion and the World Cup, Ballard added: “It’s exciting. Finishing top of the group puts us in a good light going forward and we are full of confidence for the future.
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