Lyon: Northern Ireland secured its first victory in a major competition in 34 years when it beat Ukraine 2-0 at the European Championship on Thursday.
Building on a strong finish to the first half, centre back Gareth McAuley headed in a free kick from Oliver Norwood in the 49th minute. Substitute Niall McGinn added a second deep in stoppage time when Ukraine was chasing an equalizer.
The victory, Northern Ireland's first since beating host Spain in the 1982 World Cup, means the team has a real chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of Euro 2016.
Following its opening 1-0 defeat to Poland it now has three points, alongside Germany and Poland, who also meet Thursday. Northern Ireland's next Group C game is against world champion Germany on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Northern Ireland was a far different team against Ukraine than the one that failed to even register a shot on goal against Poland. Coach Michael O'Neill made five changes to his team in response to that lacklustre start to the tournament.
His team's first shot between the posts came just four minutes into the match, when new addition Stuart Dallas fired into the arms of goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.
Northern Ireland grew in confidence through the first half and was rewarded with its first goal in an international competition since the 1986 World Cup when McAuley headed in a free kick from Oliver Norwood at the far post.
With rain pouring down, O'Neill's team showed the extra aggressiveness he had requested for the match at the Stade de Lyon. A short suspension in play in the 58th minute because of hail did not alter the team's intent. And McGinn added the second from close range in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Northern Ireland's players wore black armbands and its fans dedicated a round of applause to pay their respects to a fellow supporter who died following the loss to Poland on Sunday. The 24-year-old Darren Rodgers died after a fall, not related to the hooligan violence that has marred the competition at times.
For Ukraine, it was its second-straight 2-0 defeat and leaves it languishing in last place in Group C with no points, and more than likely reliant on others if it's to make it out of the group stage at the European Championship for the first time. Ukraine plays Poland in its final match on Tuesday in Marseille.
