Conor Bradley was named Man of the Match for Northern Ireland after his goal in a 2-2 draw with Luxembourg helped seal UEFA Nations League promotion.
Bradley is expected to fill in for Trent Alexander-Arnold when Liverpool head to Southampton on Sunday, and will do so with momentum behind him.
Though not a regular starter for the Reds, the 21-year-old is arguably the most important player for Northern Ireland and has already worn the captain’s armband for his country.
He made his 23rd appearance on Monday night, starting as a right wing-back away to Luxembourg in a 2-2 draw that clinched promotion to League B of the UEFA Nations League.
And Bradley scored his fourth international goal shortly after half-time, nodding into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Unfortunately, Northern Ireland were unable to hold on for the win, with Luxembourg scoring twice in four second-half minutes in a game the visitors otherwise dominated.
Bradley was named the official Man of the Match and also received a nine-out-of-10 rating from the Belfast Telegraph‘s Julian Taylor.
“Another industrious night in a Northern Ireland jersey and the Liverpool ace tended to get the better of counterpart Florian Bohnert,” Taylor wrote.
“Terrific header at the far post to double the lead and could have added a third goal.”
Your @EE Player of the Match ??? #GAWA pic.twitter.com/HQXtl1njGP
— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) November 18, 2024
As Taylor noted, Bradley arguably should have made it 3-0 when a searching cross found him running into the six-yard box, but he was unable to divert it on target.
Per FotMob, the youngster created more chances than any other player (three) as well as winning 100 percent of his duels – four ground duels and two aerial duels – with only Luxembourg’s Gerson Rodrigues winning more in total (seven).
Bradley also had the most touches in the opposition’s box (five), made the second-most recoveries (six) and had the third-most shots on goal (two).
“I scored a goal and should have had two,” he reflected after the game.
“I was really happy with the goal and to score in front of the Northern Ireland fans is something special and is something I will cherish.
“It has been a really good year. I’ve really enjoyed it. Playing games regularly for my country is a special thing.
“I’ve captained the country so it has been a special year and I’ll look back on it with really fond memories.”
With Northern Ireland now competing at a higher level in the UEFA Nations League, Bradley also told the Belfast Telegraph that he “doesn’t see why” his country can’t now qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
