Jonny Evans said Northern Ireland were under a lot of pressure in the game they played against Slovakia.

The game which was played on Saturday ended 0-0 but it was a vital game for Michael O’Neill’s squad ahead of the continental tournament in France. The game became the third clean sheet in a row for Northern Ireland.

The team has now arrived and settled in Lyon, France as they hope to give the title their best shot. West Brom player Jonny Evans is among the players having the time of his life in France. He put in decent performance in the game over the weekend, joining up with Gareth McAuley and Craig Cathcart in three-man defence. Evans said:

“The pleasing thing is that we showed real resilience. We were under a lot of pressure and found it hard to get out in the second-half, but they are a good side. The biggest positive we can take from it is that we were fighting for each other and there was a determination not to concede and lose the game.

“We’ve only conceded one goal in recent games and that was a penalty (against Wales). That’s a great foundation to have going into a major tournament.”

The star player also praised his defence team mates, saying we were a great defensive unit. Evans praised the coach for placing a lot of emphasis on the defence during training even though it involved a lot of work.

Evans said he hopes the team would remain in France longer than they booked for. He was very thankful for the fans’ support all along. Though they were few in Slovakia but he is certain many will be in France to cheer the Green and White Army on as they play.