Debutant Paul Smyth needed just four minutes to deliver on Michael O’Neill’s assertion that “the future starts today” with a late winner in Northern Ireland’s 2-1 victory over South Korea.
QPR winger Smyth, who played 90 minutes for the Under-21s against Spain on Thursday, became the first Northern Irishman in 17 years to score on his international bow by firing home four minutes from time at Windsor Park.
The South Koreans had gone ahead early on through Kwon Chang-hoon but levelled when an ingenious free-kick routine led to Kim Min-jae scoring an own goal, with Smyth then stepping off the bench to help the Northern Irish move on from their World Cup play-off heartache.
O’Neill was quick to praise his super-sub Smyth at the post-match press conference.
The boss said: “It’s fabulous for the boy. The intention was always to have him in, we didn’t name him in the original squad because it’s too complicated.
“With the 21s playing Spain on Thursday we wanted his focus to be there, we didn’t tell him he was coming in until after the game. That was the plan all along, that’s what we intended to do.
“He loved it, you could just see. His enthusiasm for the game is infectious, the boys love him.
“It was great for him, he’s a player with a big future, but he has to work hard, he knows that himself.
“He’s still very small, he’s still very light but he’s got a huge heart for the game and we’re delighted with him.”