Northern Ireland debutant reflects on tough night in Spain after 'poking the bear'

It was a night of mixed emotions for debutant Caolan Boyd-Munce as Northern Ireland came up against a ruthless Spain side in Palma. Michael O'Neill rewarded Boyd-Munce for an impressive season with St Mirren by handing him his first senior start at the Son Moix Stadium.

And it couldn't have got off to a better start as Daniel Ballard headed the visitors in front after only 66 seconds. But the hosts ramped the temperature up further on the Spanish island of Mallorca with an impressive first half display.

A brace from Pedri and one apiece from Alvaro Morata and Fabian Ruiz had the game won before half-time. Mikel Oyarzabal grabbed the fifth before the hour mark to complete the rout, but despite the defeat Boyd-Munce insisted there was plenty for Northern Ireland to take away from the game.

Read next: Spain 5 Northern Ireland 1: RECAP tough night for NI as they slip to heavy defeat

Read next: Spain vs Northern Ireland: Player ratings from Saturday's friendly in Palma

"Being my first time in international football I was really looking forward to it," he told BBC Sport. "We all come away from it learning so much. We poked the bear a bit, we knew set pieces were going to be valuable.

"It was tough, incredibly tough. You're up against one of the best teams in the world. It was a chance to go out and see where we are at and what our level is.

"We just went in to play the game we have worked on over the past few days and not worry about what other teams do. Their quality showed, it was tough to play against. There is so much to learn, good and bad."

Join Belfast Live’s new Irish League WhatsApp group. Click this link to receive the latest Irish League headlines and breaking news direct to your phone. We also treat our members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our group, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice