Disappointed but refreshingly honest, Michael O'Neill and his Northern Ireland players accepted there was a gulf in class against Poland despite the seeming narrowness of a 1-0 result.
O'Neill said the Irish were "overpowered" and did not contradict a question about "stagefright", Kyle Lafferty offered the brutal assessment: "We didn't turn up today."
Lafferty was an isolated figure in game in which Northern Ireland failed to have a shot on target and said: “The team that got us through to the finals was organised and had fight and determination – we’ve lacked a lot of that today. ‘Tough game’ “Obviously we knew it was going to be tough, it was going to be a tough game for the defenders. The balls that were coming up to me I couldn’t get hold of. I’m not going to blame anybody else but the whole of the performance wasn’t a Northern Ireland performance.
"We will all look at it and look to go into the third game against Germany fighting for something.
“I don’t think we can change the fight, the determination and the heart. Unfortunately we didn’t turn up today. Michael will have a word with us, he will speak the truth and I’m sure we will have a more determined performance on Thursday.”
O’Neill sent out a defensive line-up and admitted he was taken aback a little by the alacrity of Poland’s opening 10 minutes. That set the pattern of Polish domination and left Lafferty a lonesome figure.
“The gap [to Lafferty] exists because you’re under pressure,” O’Neill said. “If you dominate possession you have more opportunity to get closer to your striker.
“In the early part of game we hoped Steven (Davis) might stifle Krychowiak.
“We were almost playing 5-4-1 at times which means Kyle does get very isolated. We know it’s a very difficult job for a lone striker and Conor (Washington) and then Jamie (Dallas) coming on gave us another outlet. We found ways to win in qualification and have to find those ways in the tournament.
“I thought Poland were excellent. In the early part of the game we were overpowered by a physically strong Poland, but once we got a foothold in the game we didn’t manage to create anything of significance. To be honest we have to say the better team won on the day.”
Asked if Northern Ireland would "go for it" in the next game against Ukraine, O'Neill replied: "You can only go for it if you have the ball.
“I thought the centre-backs did defend well. In wing-back areas possibly we could have been more positive in terms of an outlet going forward.”
O'Neill's wing-backs were Conor McLaughlin and Shane Ferguson, who both play in League One. As O'Neill added: "At this level we have a number of players for whom this is the biggest game they're played in their career."
Gareth McAuley added: “Maybe in the second game we will be a bit more positive because we have nothing to lose.”
O’Neill said the “personnel and system” may have changed by then.
