Skip to content

Chris Brunt says Northern Ireland have an uphill task to reach the World Cup

Image: Chris Brunt: Midfielder admits Northern Ireland have a mountain to climb to qualify for the 2014 World Cup

Chris Brunt says Northern Ireland now have a 'mountain to climb' to reach the 2014 World Cup after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Luxembourg.

Brunt's West Brom team-mate Gareth McAuley will miss the trip to Portugal next month after being booked for the second game in a row, and O'Neill is disappointed to have lost the defender's services. The Northern Ireland coach said: "That's disappointing. It was a very soft yellow card, very little in it at all. "As a result of that we miss Gareth with two bookings. I thought he was excellent for us out in Moscow so it's a big blow because when you go to the likes of Portugal you need your big players. "Gareth is one of our big players and a mainstay of the back four."

Around Sky