Man of the Match Maik Taylor
last updated Sunday 07th October 2001, 12:19 AM
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Man
of the Match Maik Taylor
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Fulham's Maik Taylor was Man of the Match
for Northern Ireland on Saturday.
The Ulstermen were playing the last game in their World Cup campaign and
ended on a relative high finishing fifth in Group Three with 11 points.
The 1-0 win over Malta being their first competitive away win in six years.
Northern Ireland opened positively going close with a half chance when winger
Stuart Elliott hit a shot which was blocked. Then the raveling Irish fans
nearly had a goal to celebrate after 15 minutes when Kevin Horlock drove
a free-kick from 35 yards out just over Mario Muscat's crossbar.
However after this positive opening, the Irish faded and Malta took charge.
In fact the minnows of world football even had the audacity to seize the
initiative from Northern Ireland.
Keeper Maik Taylor pulled off a number of saves ensuring that the Northern
Irish kept a clean sheet and avoided the embarrassment of a defeat by Malta.
During the game, amid farcical scenes that were more reminiscent of a Monty
Python sketch than a football match, Northern Ireland coaches Sammy McIlroy
and Jimmy Harvey were sent off. The pair have probably made footballing
history by becoming the first managerial double act to be banished from
the touchline. McIlroy was the first to go and the Irish manager was given
his marching orders by Austrian referee Manfred Schuttengruber for throwing
the ball at Malta striker Michael Mifsud. Harvey followed soon after for
apparently persistently encroaching outside his technical area.
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