Arkadiusz Milik delivers as Northern Ireland freeze

Poland 1 Northern Ireland 0: Michael O’Neill spoke on Saturday about how his team needed to embrace this game rather than fear it, but against Poland Northern Ireland played like a team awed by the occasion and they succumbed meekly in their first game in a major finals in 30 years.

Lauded as an outfit that punched well above its weight by topping its group in qualification, it was difficult to avoid the feeling that they simply hadn’t done themselves justice on a night when their unbeaten record of a dozen games came to a grinding halt.

Grind being the operative word.