Northern Ireland finished third in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group with late defeat by Slovakia in Kosice the damaging result.

They still made the play-offs, where they were beaten by Italy in Bergamo, by virtue of topping their Nations League C group in 2024 despite no wins on the road in that campaign either.

For defender Trai Hume, who captained the side in Tbilisi, Friday’s result felt significant.

“Since we’ve come together, we’ve always said that we’re a young group and we’re growing and growing,” he said.

“That shows we can go away and win games which is very important because anyone coming to Windsor, they know it’s going to be a tough game for them.

“But in the last campaign, away games have been where we haven’t been at the level we probably wanted to be at. It’s one of the parts of our game that we need to improve.”

While the visitors were indebted to goalkeeper Pierce Charles, who could count a second-half penalty among his saves, for keeping them in position to secure the last-gasp victory, Hume was encouraged his side were not simply content with a draw in the closing moments.

“We showed both sides, that we can dominate the ball and create chances but also dig in when he have to. For a young team that’s really important,” added the 24-year-old.

“Sometimes you’re trying to sit in and keep what you’ve got but we went and tried to win the game. We didn’t sit in, we weren’t happy to come away with a point.”

He was unexpectedly handed his debut in a 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand, impressing in a second-half cameo and becoming the fifth youngest player to represent the Three Lions.

Ngumoha has enjoyed a rapid rise since becoming the youngest player in Liverpool’s history to start a first-team match when he made his debut as a 16-year-old in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley during the 2024-25 season.

He then marked his Premier League debut by scoring a stunning late winner in the Reds’ 3-2 win at Newcastle last season.

He has made three league appearances for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool this season but only one of them has come as a starter.