With four starters missing from the side that were beaten by Germany last time out, the first point of intrigue for this one was Michael O’Neill’s team selection.
One change to the team, the return of Conor Bradley, was always a certainty after the Liverpool player missed out against Julian Nagelsmann’s side last month through suspension.
With Ruairi McConville, George Saville and Brad Lyons coming in to replace the unavailable trio Shea Charles, Ali McCann and Ethan Galbraith, it all constituted a considerable rejig.
It was perhaps understandable, then, that Northern Ireland took time to find their feet in the game, all with their best player in an unfamiliar position.
Injuries and suspension left Bradley playing further forward – indeed he was occasionally the furthest forward white shirt on the field – but failed to match the considerable impact he made when these sides last met in Belfast last month.
After living dangerously during the period when Slovakia had two goals chalked off by a combination of the linesman and VAR, it was no surprise to see O’Neill revert to his usual right-sided combination with 20 minutes to go in an effort to both shore things up and get Bradley more of the ball.
Still, however, Northern Ireland struggled to impose themselves on the game, even if ultimately the game’s only goal came from a set-piece and goalkeeping error.
There is no doubt that the side will be disappointed to miss out on a top-two spot in Group A, something that would have been considered a sizeable staging post for such a young side.
When the dust settles, however, their performances in the Nations League have ensured they are still just two games from the World Cup.
First-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles will be back by then, as will key midfield duo Charles and Price.
While the side have had their depth tested throughout this campaign, events in Kosice were a reminder of how important it is for the side to be as close to full-strength as possible.
