Northern Ireland moved to the top of Group F with a 2-0 over the Faroe Islands at Windsor Park tonight.
The hosts were by far the dominant side, and even before he handed Northern Ireland the lead in the sixth minute, Gareth McAuley had seen an effort cleared off the line.
However, the West Brom defender made no mistake 60 seconds later when he nodded home from Oliver Norwood's corner at the far post.
Kyle Lafferty then went close for Northern Ireland as they pushed for a second and the forward got his just rewards with a simple finish from close range in the 21st minute.
Lafferty was then denied by a glorious Gunnar Nielsen save before Steven Davis and Lafferty again sent more efforts narrowly wide.
Totally against the run of play, the Faroe Islands were awarded a penalty in the 36th minute, but Roy Carroll ensured that his side maintained their two-goal advantage at the break with a fine save to tip Frodi Benjaminsen's 12-yard effort onto the post.
Norwood, Stephen Ward and Lafferty all went close shortly after the interval as the game increasingly resembled a exercise in shooting practice for Michael O'Neill's team.
Ryan McLaughlin then missed a glaring opportunity to add a third for Northern Ireland in the 61st minute, but in truth it didn't matter as they cruised to their second successive victory in Group F.
Kristian Johnson
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