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Steven Davis missed a first-half penalty as Northern Ireland\u2019s faint automatic qualification hopes ended with a 0-0 draw against Holland in what stands to be Michael O\u2019Neill\u2019s final home game in charge.<\/p>\nSteven Davis missed a first-half penalty as Northern Ireland\u2019s faint automatic qualification hopes ended with a 0-0 draw against Holland in what stands to be Michael O\u2019Neill\u2019s final home game in charge.<\/p>\n
Captain Davis, making his 116th appearance to overtake David Beckham as the UK\u2019s most capped midfielder, blazed badly over the crossbar in the 32nd minute, and Northern Ireland\u2019s failure to win ended any slim hopes they had of securing automatic qualification for Euro 2020.<\/p>\n
Attention will instead turn to March\u2019s play-offs, with Northern Ireland\u2019s place secured as of Friday night thanks to Sweden\u2019s win over Romania, though they will finish off their Group C fixtures away to Germany on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Holland, in contrast, could celebrate, with the point enough to end a wait to reach a major tournament which began with their failure to reach the 2014 World Cup.<\/p>\n
After eight memorable years at the helm at Windsor Park, a 0-0 draw was hardly the way O\u2019Neill would have wanted to sign off in front of his home fans.<\/p>\n
The faithful poured into Windsor Park wearing O\u2019Neill masks and carrying banners to thank the outgoing manager, though he plans to take charge for the play-offs \u2013 almost certainly away from home \u2013 in March alongside his new role at Stoke.<\/p>\n
A pre-match video celebration of his achievements helped build the atmosphere, positively rocking come kick-off, and it was against that backdrop that Northern Ireland began unsettling Holland straight away.<\/p>\n
Corry Evans chased down a back-pass and almost prodded home after Jasper Cillesen mis-controlled, then Jonny Evans headed wide from McNair\u2019s corner.<\/p>\n
Magennis tried to guide a deep cross from McNair into the far corner but saw it go wide and George Saville struck the ball into a crowd of players when Cillesen tried to punch a free-kick clear.<\/p>\n
All that was in the first six minutes. If Ronald Koeman felt Northern Ireland\u2019s tactics in the reverse fixture last month were \u201coutrageous\u201d and \u201cterrible to watch\u201d, it is unlikely he was much keener on the attacking intent displayed early on.<\/p>\n
But it was not a pace they could sustain and drama soon shifted to the other end where Quincy Promes lifted in a cross for Steven Berghuis, whose mis-hit shot looped onto the crossbar before Northern Ireland scrambled it clear.<\/p>\n
Holland, missing Memphis Depay through injury and Georginio Wijnaldum through illness, began to exert more influence and Ryan Babel should have done much better when Daley Blind pulled the ball back, but fired straight at Bailey Peacock-Farrell instead.<\/p>\n
With half an hour gone, Northern Ireland were gifted a penalty when Joel Veltman handled McNair\u2019s cross under Saville.<\/p>\n
They could have asked for few better men to take it than skipper Davis but, perhaps unnerved by lengthy Dutch arguments, the Rangers man blazed over from the spot.<\/p>\n
Compared to the all-action start to the first half, the second 45 minutes turned into a drab affair.<\/p>\n
Early signs were promising as Magennis headed over from Jamal Lewis\u2019 dangerous cross, but instead Northern Ireland spent much of the time stuck inside their own half, pushed back as Holland hogged the ball.<\/p>\n
Not that the Dutch could do much with it. Bailey Peacock-Farrell comfortably held headers from Ryan Babel and Matthijs de Ligt but was otherwise untested.<\/p>\n
The fans never lost their enthusiasm, singing O\u2019Neill\u2019s name as the clock ran down.<\/p>\n
But a truly big scalp is the one thing that has eluded him during his celebrated reign, and that would not change here.<\/p>\n