O'Neill rues missed opportunity as Northern Ireland fall 3-1 to Germany in World Cup qualifier

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill said there was a "real sense of disappointment" in his dressing room after his side fought back to draw level but ultimately lost 3-1 to Germany in a World Cup qualifying match in Cologne.

Serge Gnabry gave Germany an early lead, but Northern Ireland equalised when Isaac Price volleyed home from a corner. The match appeared poised for a tight finish until Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz struck twice in the space of three minutes to secure Germany's first win in Group A.

O'Neill praised his players' performance but said the mood in the camp was one of frustration. "We are very proud of the display, but there is a real sense of disappointment in the dressing room, which is understandable," he told BBC Sport NI. He added that the compressed schedule had exposed a lack of squad depth: "This is a really tough game, second game in a short period of time. It showed we weren't able to make changes. We just don't have the depth to cope in this situation."

The Northern Ireland manager highlighted two moments that changed the game. He described the second goal as "a bit of a freak goal" resulting from a defensive mix-up and criticised the decision that led to the third, saying, "The third goal isn't a free-kick. It's a fantastic finish but it's a soft free-kick." O'Neill also said the referee had been "a bit fussy in the second half" after a stronger first-half performance.

Northern Ireland had appeared to be in control for long spells. "For 60 or 65 minutes we were well in the game," O'Neill said, adding that his side had hoped to make it to the final 15 minutes and perhaps snatch a result. Instead, the quick concession of two goals allowed the hosts to ease their way to victory.

The result leaves Northern Ireland second in Group A after two matches, with one win and one defeat. O'Neill said the position was broadly where he had expected the team to be at this early stage of qualifying, but he stressed the importance of the coming fixtures. Northern Ireland return home in October for consecutive matches against Slovakia and Germany, games O'Neill described as "huge" and which he said presented an opportunity: "We have to be ready to play back-to-back at home and we know two good results will put us in a good position."

Germany, who had started the group without a win, collected a much-needed three points to climb their own way back into contention. Northern Ireland will look to regroup and make the most of their upcoming home schedule as they pursue qualification.