FOOTBALL: Stuart Dallas strike gives Northern Ireland win in Baku

AZERBAIJAN 0 NORTHERN IRELAND 1
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'NeillNorthern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill

Stuart Dallas’ stoppage-time strike earned Northern Ireland a smash-and-grab 1-0 success over Azerbaijan that kept them firmly on the road to Russia.

Missing eight players from the squad they took to France, and without Gareth McAuley for the final 65 minutes due to a first-half injury, Michael O’Neill’s side struggled in the Baku heat and were thankful to the profligacy of Afran Ismayilov.

And they secured an unlikely victory when Dallas rifled in a late winner, his first in a competitive international, having been teed up by the cool-headed Jonny Evans in the box.