JOSH Magennis proved Northern Ireland’s hero as they maintained a 100 per cent start to Euro 2020 qualifying with a 2-1 victory against Belarus.

The Wanderers striker struck in the 87th minute at Windsor Park to put his side three points clear at the top of Group C with two wins from two.

Leicester City’s Jonny Evans headed Northern Ireland into the lead on the half hour and Igor Stasevich equalised with a deflected shot three minutes later.

Magennis came off the bench for the second time in the international break to turn home Paddy McNair’s cross and ensure a perfect start for Michael O’Neill’s men.

“It feels absolutely brilliant,” the striker said after the game. “The six points are the most important part of this week it’s obviously brilliant that I was able to grab the goal. The most important thing is we have the six points and top the group and now we look forward to the games in June.

“It’s fantastic for me to score the winner for my country in a winning game and not a consolation, we’ve worked hard throughout the week and to see what we’ve been working on come to plan is brilliant. What we are doing on the training pitch is coming to the big days.”

Magennis scored his fifth international goal, taking his tally for club and country for the season to eight.

Northern Ireland have Germany and the Netherlands in their group, so have stiffer challenges ahead, but the Wanderers man is optimistic they will not make life simple for two of Europe’s more fancied sides.

“It’s a big step forward for us,” he said of the Belarus victory. “Nobody’s coming to Windsor anymore thinking that we are an easy touch teams are showing us respect they are dropping off.

“The confidence I get when I come here Michael really challenges us and has high demands. I’m playing with great players that sometimes make you look better than you are and I’m really enjoying my football.”

Northern Ireland started the brighter of the two sides as Kyle Lafferty had the first sight of goal in the game as he got on the end of a Stuart Dallas clipped cross, but his header was weak and sailed straight into the hands of Belarus stopper Andrei Kilmovich.

In what was a quiet opening to the game the first real chance arrived on 20 minutes as McNair drove into the box before unleashing a powerful effort goalward, but his strike was well parried away by Andrei Klimovich in the Belarus goal.

Kilmovich was then called in to action, producing another fine save after Lafferty cut inside.

However, from the resulting corner Michael O’Neill’s side did take the lead on as Evans headed in his third international goal with a smart finish following a flick-on by Davis.

The lead was to last less than four minutes as former Arsenal and Barcelona star Alexander Hleb played in Stasevich, whose shot took a big deflection off Dallas to beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

The equaliser did not dent Northern Ireland’s confidence and Niall McGinn went close to restoring the lead, bending an effort over the crossbar.

O’Neill’s troops started the second half the way they finished the first, on top, as McNair drove into the box once again but his looping cross to pick out Lafferty was well plucked out of the air by the impressive Klimovich.

It was all Northern Irish pressure in the second period, and they snuffed out another opportunity as the lively Jones dinked a ball into the back-post to find McNair, but his powerful low effort was well blocked by the sliding Stanislav Dragun.

Laffety should have scored after getting on the end of Jones’s cross, his flick drifting just ahead of Magennis at the back-post.

But the Wanderers man would come to his side’s rescue three minutes from time, bringing down a deep ball from Cathcart and playing the ball out wide he got himself into the penalty box to fire home McGinn’s low cross, sending Windsor Park into a frenzy.