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O'Neill thrilled to see ex-Burnley, Rangers ace Lafferty hit top form for Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland boss Micahel O'Neill has praised striker Kyle Lafferty after his brace secured an important 2-1 win against Finland.

Two goals in six minutes by Lafferty - currently at Turkish club Caykur Rizespor on loan from Norwich City - helped the Green and White Army to the second spot in Group F of Euro2016 qualifying, one point behind leaders Romania.

When asked about the striker's impressive display against Finland, O'Neill said: "Confidence is the big issue, he had a bit of a difficult year but he has put that behind him, he is playing with a smile on his face which is lovely to see.

"He is a big part of the squad and he recognises how important he is to this squad and this team. You saw today he was a real handful and scored a couple of fantastic goal. We emphasis the point of getting quality balls in the box and we saw the benefits of doing that."

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