Conor Bradley made that clear during Sunday’s 1-0 Nations League loss of Northern Ireland to Bulgaria.
With four victories in their last six games, Northern Ireland’s fortunes had been improving after a challenging few years.
Actually, the sole loss they suffered during that period came at the hands of Spain, who went on to win Euro 2024 just a few weeks after dominating Michael O’Neill’s inexperienced squad.
The victory over Luxembourg on Thursday at Windsor Park only strengthened the team’s confidence and belief, but on a steamy Sunday night in Bulgaria, that momentum was dashed.
From the first whistle to the second, the hosts were in control.
Five minutes before halftime, Kiril Despodov, the captain, tapped into an empty net after Farrell misplayed a pass to Daniel Ballard.
Despite exerting significant late pressure and improving after the interval, Northern Ireland was unable to find the winning moment to attempt to tie the score.
“I think we performed pretty well in the second half. “We acknowledge that the first half was inadequate,” Bradley, a full-back for Liverpool, said.
“We consistently gave up free kicks and didn’t manage the ball effectively enough. We put the strain on ourselves. It offers a wealth of knowledge.
