Two goals in six first half minutes from Conor Bradley were enough to see Northern Ireland past Andorra in Tuesday’s friendly international staged in Murcia. The Liverpool player shone in an otherwise uneventful game played in front of only 400 supporters.

After their 5-1 defeat to Spain on Saturday, this was a totally different proposition for Northern Ireland who enjoyed plenty of possession and did not surrender a shot on target. Aside from Bradley’s efforts, however, they could not find a way past an Andorran side who were committed despite offering little in attack.

Callum Marshall could have added a third in the first half for Northern Ireland, while substitute Ross McCausland had the best opportunity of a decidedly low-key second half. The game was staged at the home of Real Murcia with Northern Ireland having been based in the south-eastern Spanish city since last week, leaving only to play Spain in Palma on Saturday. While Michael O’Neill’s side were notionally the home side, they had only in the region of 400 fans in a stadium with a capacity over 31,000.

It created an odd atmosphere for an international fixture and in the opening quarter there was certainly a sense of Northern Ireland finding the measure of both the occasion and their opponents. Having enjoyed little possession during both good and bad performances this season, they would have plenty of ball early on but some wayward passes and heavy touches were thwarting efforts to really seize control of the game.

West Ham teenager Marshall provided the contest’s first real spark and, in turn, produced the game’s first goal, beating his man on the left touchline before his near-post cross was tucked away by Bradley.

Just six minutes later the Liverpool man had his second, again ghosting off the right wing and into the box, but this time finishing off a Jamal Lewis cross with his head.

Northern Ireland should have had a third before half time but, after the impressive Brodie Spencer had slid a ball in behind for Jamie Reid, the Stevenage man’s cross was bundled wide by Marshall from close range.

The closest Northern Ireland would come to a third in the opening 25 minutes of the second half came when Iker Alvarez, who had previously made a smart save from Jamal Lewis, almost allowed Spencer’s cross to sneak in at his near post. Having opted against making changes at half-time, O’Neill would make five between the 60th and 68th minute, including an international debut for 21-year-old Nottingham Forest defender Aaron Donnelly.

As the small crowd began to call for Bradley to shoot each time he touched the ball, it was replacement Dale Taylor who tried his luck from distance but Alvarez was always equal to the effort.

With O’Neill’s replacements beginning to lift the tempo, it was another second half introduction, Ross McCausland, who next had a go but his acrobatic effort never had the accuracy to trouble the keeper.

There was to be no hat-trick with Bradley, who had smashed one last shot against Alvarez, replaced by Caolan Boyd-Munce with a quarter of an hour to go. As the game entered its final ten minutes, Eric Vales chased back well to cut out McCausland’s square ball that would have left only a tap in for Magennis. The Rangers man will likely reflect, though, that he would have been better going for goal himself.

In the end the third just would not arrive. Not for the first time, nor likely the last, it was Conor Bradley who was to prove Northern Ireland’s match-winner.

The Portuguese team’s final momentum could not have been better before Euro 2024 when the extremely strong squad under coach Roberto Martinez attacked without giving the Republic of Ireland time to breathe.

Welcoming the Republic of Ireland at home to Municipal de Aveiro, Portugal took the field with the best force available.

The 80-year-old veteran duo Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo are both in the starting lineup, alongside other famous faces such as Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Diogo Costa.