Northern Ireland 0-2 England
European Championship Qualifier
Windsor Park, Belfast
01 April 1987

Although England did not quite touch the heights that they had reached in beating Spain 4-2 in Madrid six weeks before, they were well in control against the Northern Irish to preserve an unbeaten sequence in Belfast that began in 1929.

England took a decisive step towards the European Championship Finals with a 2-0 victory that saw them extend their lead at the top of Group 4 to four points.

There were one or two problems for the English rearguard in the first quarter of an hour as Peter Shilton stopped Kevin Wilson's hastily-struck shot from close in on his knees and Nigel Worthington just failed to connect properly with Campbell's cross from the right as he hurtled forward to head wide.

It was Bryan Robson, at last back to full fitness, who put his team on the road to two vital points with a typical opportunist goal in the 18th minute.

Gary Mabbutt, deputising for the injured Glenn Hoddle in midfield, launched a monumental throw into the Irish box from the right, Terry Butcher helped it on and Robson got the crucial second touch to glance the ball in.

Moments after entering the list of the all-time top ten goalscorers (19 in 55 internationals), the England skipper almost hit the target again with a fierce right-footer that ricocheted off Dunlop's legs and spun up and over the bar.

The balance of the matchhad shifted very much into England's favour by the time they went further ahead two minutes before the break.

The industrious Peter Beardsley helped to create a goal for Chris Waddle with a 30-yard pass to his former Newcastle United colleague who then cut inside from the right and deliberately curled his shot round Dunlop, the Irish 'keeper perhaps being unsighted.

With the breathing space of a two-goal advantage, Bobby Robson withdrew Shilton, still feeling the symptoms of a 'flu virus, and substituted Chris Woods for the whole of the second half.

That second period proved to be largely academic, as Northern Ireland's ambitions appeared to go little further than achieving a 'respectable' defeat.

Team Details

Northern Ireland: Dunlop, Fleming, Donaghy, McClelland, McDonald, Ramsey, Campbell (Wilson, D), McCreery, Wilson K., Whiteside, Worthington

England: Shilton (Woods), Anderson, sansom, Mabbutt, Wright, Butcher, Robson, Hodge, Beardsley, Lineker