GROUP C:THE thousand-yard stare from Nigel Worthington said it all. The Northern Ireland manager glared across Windsor Park as Serbia celebrated their gift-wrapped winner, betraying the look of a man who had just seen qualification hopes thrown away. They surely have been.
It was a night that will haunt Steven Davis. Northern Ireland looked to have weathered an admittedly superior Serbia team with goalkeeper Lee Camp in outstanding form when the Rangers midfielder played a woeful back-pass into the path of Marko Pantelic.
He, Worthington and Northern Ireland could only look on aghast as their prospects of a play-off place slipped from their grasp.
Injuries to Paddy McCourt and Kyle Lafferty had deprived Northern Ireland of ingenuity in attack but Serbia were without the influential Nemanja Vidic, striker Nikola Zigic and the Juventus midfielder, Milos Krasic.
Vidic was missed immediately by a visiting defence easily pressured into mistakes on the ball. Unfortunately for the hosts, who almost took advantage when Chris Brunt drew Bojan Jorgacevic into the first save of the game, that was an isolated weakness.
Milan Jovanovic was an early threat with a 20-yard drive that deflected off Aaron Hughes and landed on the top of the crossbar.
Camp held onto an awkward chip from Zdravko Kuzmanovic and produced a fine save low to his left when Alexsandar Kolarov, powered into the area from the left.
Zoran Tosic also proved a threat on the right for Serbia and it required two excellent interceptions from Aaron Hughes and Jonny Evans to deny him.
Serbia’s clearest chances before the interval fell to Dejan Stankovic and Pantelic. Stankovic fired horribly wide with only Camp to beat and then Pantelic racing dangerously clear of Gareth McAuley only to lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.
Windsor Park was open only to home supporters as a result of Uefa’s ban on Serbian fans and thought it had witnessed a breakthrough twice in three minutes.
Corry Evans met his brother Jonny’s cross from the left but, unmarked, could only head over. Brunt’s drive then cannoned wide off Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
Camp saved superbly from Milos Ninkovic and Jovanovic but just when Northern Ireland had established a foothold, they hit the self-destruct button.
Davis played a needless, under-hit back-pass straight into the path of Pantelic, who rounded Camp, rolled the ball into an empty net and left Worthington looking ashen-faced on the touchline.
NORTHERN IRELAND:Northern Ireland: Camp, McAuley, Cathcart, Hughes, J Evans, Baird, C Evans, Davis, McCann, Brunt, Healy. Subs: Taylor, McGivern, Hodson, Feeney, McQuoid, McGinn, Gorman.
SERBIA: Jorgacevic, Rajkovic, Ivanovic, Subotic, Kolarov, Z Tosic, Stankovic, Ninkovic, Kuzmanovic, Jovanovic, Pantelic. Subs: Kahriman, Dusko Tosic, Bisevac, Fejsa, Ljajic, Petrovic, Despotovic.
Referee: T Einwaller (Austria)
GuardianService
