Debut strike for Smyth seals NI comeback win over South Korea
Last updated 24th Mar 2018
By Alex Keery, Sports Reporter
Paul Smyth came off the bench to score a winning goal in his Northern Ireland debut, in a 2-1 friendly win over South Korea.
The winger took just four minutes to make an impact, after coming on in the 82nd minute with the score level at 1-all.
It capped a comeback win that looked unlikely for most of the game.
The visitors had taken the lead in just the seventh minute, making the most of their early dominance of possession.
Captain Sungyeung Ki was routinely given plenty of time on the ball, and as a result the former Celtic midfielder was able to casually lob a decisive pass over the top of the Northern Ireland defence.
Dijon’s Changhoon Park collected the ball in the box and placed it beyond home goalkeeper Trevor Carson, who was making his senior debut.
Jamie Ward soon had the ball in the net for Northern Ireland, but his 14th minute finish was correctly ruled out for offside.
However, the home side deservedly equalised just six minutes later.
A cleverly worked set piece routine saw Jordan Jones roll the ball ahead of Ward who had entered the South Korean box completely unmarked.
He drove it across the face of goal where Minjae Kim inadvertently bundled the ball into his own goal for the equaliser.
Into the second half the South Koreans continued to look the more dangerous side, but couldn’t find a way past Carson.
As Michael O’Neill looked for a reply from Northern Ireland, he sent on Liam Boyce and Conor Washington in place of Corry Evans and Jamie Ward in the 62nd minute.
Five minutes later, Craig Cathcart made his international return from injury as he replaced Jonny Evans, and Paddy McNair then came on for Olly Norwood.
In perhaps the most anticipated change of the afternoon, former Linfield winger Paul Smyth replaced Jones in the 82nd minute to make his senior debut.
It took only four minutes for Smyth to make an impact, collecting a Washington header on the edge of the box before beating his man and lashing a low shot into the bottom corner to send Northern Ireland into the lead.