Northern Ireland slumped to their first defeat in Euro 2016 qualifying by losing 2-0 away to Romania in Bucharest tonight.

Right-back Paul Papp struck twice in the final 15 minutes as Romania, on the wings of a partisan crowd, glided to the summit of Group F.

Below, Sports Mole takes a look at how the game was won in the Romanian capital this evening.

© Getty Images

Match statistics

ROMANIA
Shots: 10
On target: 6
Possession: 61%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 8

NORTHERN IRELAND
Shots: 5
On target: 3
Possession: 39%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

In the end, yes. Stats can occasionally lie, but they accurately reflect what went on in Bucharest tonight. Despite being frustrated for the best part of 75 minutes, there was always a sense that a goal was never far away and Romania ultimately had all the keys necessary to unlock a stubborn Northern Ireland defence. Fully deserved three points that propel the hosts to the summit of Group F.

Romania's performance

Buoyed by a partisan crowd, who made their presence felt from the first minute to the last, the 12 men of Romania stayed patient and saw their perseverance pay off by scoring twice in the final 15 minutes.

They spurned a host of clear-cut opportunities throughout a profligate first half, and although chances were far less prominent in the second 45 minutes, the Romanians never looked like allowing panic to overcome them and their three points are just desserts for an excellent overall performance.

We did not see much of them defensively by virtue of Northern Ireland's timid approach, but Vlad Chirches ensured that star striker Kyle Lafferty endured a frustrating night for the first time in this qualifying campaign. And, of course, midfielder Lucian Sanmartean emerged as a player who could yet have a massive say in their qualification hopes.

Northern Ireland's performance

Northern Ireland came looking for a point, hoping to fashion chances on the counter-attack and only when the task was beyond them did they develop an adventurous streak.

They did well to weather repeated storms in the first half, while carving out one or two half-chances themselves, but it was clear from the opening 45 minutes that Lucian Sanmartean was the danger man, and manager Michael O'Neill did little to negate that threat during the break, as the veteran midfielder swung in a wonderful cross for the second goal - the killer goal.

In the second half, O'Neill's side managed few to no chances of note, and in the end they perhaps paid the penalty for a lack of adventure. There are still plenty of reasons to be cheerful from a Northern Ireland perspective; namely the fact they're second in Group B, but tonight was evidence that, if they are to qualify for their first ever European Championships, it will be done the hard way.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Lucian Sanmartean: Despite Paul Papp scoring both goals, this decision does not require a second thought. Sanmartean was head and shoulders above anybody else on the field in both halves and showed why comparisons to the legendary Gheorghe Hagi are not quite as amiss as they perhaps seemed prior to the game.

He orchestrated almost every single attack for Romania, and should have scored after nonchalantly jogging around a number of players en route to a one-on-one with Roy Carroll but, instead of shooting, squared to misfiring striker Bogdan Stancu, who fell over at the key moment.

It says it all that selflessness is the only thing worth criticising him over tonight. Exceptional performance.

Biggest gaffe

Unfortunately, we have to look at referee Jonas Eriksson one section too early because the Swedish official was culpable for the game's biggest gaffe by not awarding Romania a stick-on penalty after Ryan McGivern fouled Sanmartean in the box.

Referee performance

By virtue of how loud the home fans were during Romania's national anthem, it was clear from before kickoff that Eriksson was always going to be at the eye of a storm tonight - and it will not go down as his best performance.

Coupled with the above incident, Eriksson also made a handful of dreadful calls against both teams throughout the 90 minutes - including a yellow card for Kyle Lafferty for what may be considered as excellent hold-up play on other days

What next?

Romania: The Romanians welcome minnows Faroe Islands back here on March 29, 2015.

Northern Ireland: O'Neill's side, meanwhile, host Finland at Windsor Park in Belfast on the same evening.

Written by
Shane Callaghan