O’Neill admired the efficiency of his younger facet, who’ve made an outstanding begin to qualifying.

A win in Luxembourg was adopted by an hour of matching European heavyweights Germany, who ultimately prevailed to win 3-1.

Friday’s win was excellent from first minute to final. A Patrik Hrosovsky personal objective broke the impasse earlier than Hume’s excellent effort with slightly below 10 minutes left made positive – however was it the very best beneath O’Neill?

“I do not actually have a look at video games like that as a result of groups evolve,” O’Neill stated when requested if it was probably the most full efficiency since his return in 2023 for a second spell in cost.

The Germany fixture might be his one hundredth recreation as Northern Eire boss.

“The staff after I got here again in could be very totally different to the staff now,” O’Neill stated. “They’ve given different good performances, like at house right here to Bulgaria [a 5-0 win in October 2024] after we had been wonderful.

“I feel tonight was a staff of a better calibre as effectively, so you’ll be able to say it is likely one of the greatest performances we have had, however I nonetheless suppose there’s extra within the tank, and I feel the gamers imagine that as effectively.”

O’Neill was additionally filled with reward for Hume, who has moved up the leagues with Sunderland and is now a Premier League common.

The defender’s objective had come after the in-form David Strelec poked an effort vast for Slovakia. Previously, when there felt like an inevitability that the opposition would hit again, Hume’s effort modified that narrative.

“We deserved to be a couple of objective forward with how the sport had gone, however we would have liked that second objective,” stated O’Neill.

“Slovakia are staff and are very skilled at worldwide degree, and it solely takes a second.

“They did have that likelihood they usually missed it. As a younger staff you’ll be able to lose confidence and momentum in that scenario, however when the second objective went in – and it was an incredible end – it was nice for him as he is such an essential participant for us.”