Isaac Price made the difference at both ends of the pitch as 10-man Northern Ireland clung on for a 1-0 friendly win over Iceland in their final match before the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Price lit up a drab first half to put Northern Ireland ahead, but then had to head off his own line as it turned into a defensive scrap after Brodie Spencer was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity when Hakon Haraldsson went over under a slight touch just before the hour.
Michael O’Neill would have been hoping for a more straightforward night as he looks ahead to the autumn, but will take encouragement from the way his young side dealt with adversity to keep a clean sheet.
Before kick-off there was a presentation for the recently retired Steven Davis and Jonny Evans, two members of the Euro 2016 squad who each earned more than 100 caps for Northern Ireland.
But there was nothing to recognise Peter McParland, despite this game taking place only two days after his funeral. McParland, who scored five goals for Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, died last month aged 91.
O’Neill made five changes to the side that started Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Copenhagen in Denmark, handing a long-awaited debut to Ronan Hale following his switch from the Republic of Ireland.
He saw little of the ball in a tepid start to the match as neither side looked capable of creating anything.
But in the 36th minute Northern Ireland took the lead out of nowhere and Price, who on Monday talked about how he has greater confidence following his move to West Brom in January, was the man to deliver his ninth international goal.
George Saville beat Arnor Ingvi Traustason to the ball, caught by a heavy challenge as he did so, and referee Morten Krogh played advantage. The ball ran to Price, who took a couple of touches before bending a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
George Saville during the win against Iceland
Northern Ireland had finally woken up, and in first-half stoppage time Hale was inches away from a debut goal, cracking a shot off the crossbar after Trai Hume flicked on Justin Devenny’s cross.
Ethan Galbraith replaced Paul Smyth at the break and was a whisker wide of a first international goal in the 56th minute with a flicked header from Shea Charles’ free-kick.
Then Hale burst into the box and got beyond the despairing dive of Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, but his low cross was beyond Price.
The mood changed completely in the 57th minute. Spencer got into a foot race with Haraldsson, and the Iceland skipper went down theatrically under the slightest of touches. Krogh immediately produced a red card with Spencer the last man.
Iceland turned up the pressure as Northern Ireland were forced to defend their box and temperatures were raised.
Goalscorer Price turned into a defensive hero in the 67th minute, clearing Andri Gudjohnsen’s header off the line, before Kristian Hlynsson sent a good chance narrowly wide.
In stoppage time, goalkeeper Pierce Charles kept out a point-blank header from Isak Johannesson and Northern Ireland held on.
