Northern Ireland v Norway Official Match Programme

PRESIDENT’S

WELCOME

On behalf of the Irish Football Association I am pleased to welcome the officials, players and supporters of Norway to our National Football Stadium in Belfast for this evening's FIFA World Cup 2018 Group C qualifying game.

The game will bring both countries to the midway point in the qualification group as the contest for second place gathers momentum following the winter break from internationals. Our last competitive game, a four-goal defeat of Azerbaijan, moved us up to second place in the group and there is a great opportunity to consolidate that position tonight. It is a really big game for both countries and a win for Northern Ireland will keep confidence high as the team travel to Azerbaijan for the next qualifying fixture on June 10. Norway lie four points behind Northern Ireland so they will hope to get much closer to second with a win. There have been seven previous meetings between our countries, including five friendlies in Belfast all won by Norway, the last of which was in 2012. The other two games were in the 1976 UEFA European Championship qualification series which resulted in Norway winning 2-1 in Oslo and Northern Ireland claiming the points with a 3-0 win in Belfast. It is a special occasion for Aaron Hughes this evening as prior to the game the Association marks his 100th international cap for Northern Ireland, achieved against Slovakia in Trnava on 4 June, 2016. His first appearance came way back in 1998, in a home fixture, also against Slovakia.

Aaron, currently on 104 caps, has been a magnificent servant to the Northern Ireland national team over 19 years and a great role model for any young person making their way in the professional game. His stats are amazing in that he has started 99 of his 104 international games to date and not only was he never sent off while playing for Northern Ireland, he has never received a red card during his entire career, a feat shared with Germany's Philip Lahm and just a few others. Well done to our first outfield centurion. The atmosphere in the National Stadium has been magnificent in the games so far and we look forward to more of the same support again tonight. I hope that you all enjoy another exciting game and have a safe journey home. Finally, I would like to express sympathy to the family of Derry City captain Ryan McBride, who passed away suddenly at the weekend. Our thoughts are with Ryan’s family and with Derry City Football Club, its supporters and staff at this sad time. David J Martin President Irish Football Association

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