Trnava, Slovakia — Northern Ireland's new generation delivered a statement on Friday night, humbling Ukraine 3-0 at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho to move clear at the top of UEFA Nations League Group B2.

Ciaron Brown's first international goals came as a pair to help a young Northern Ireland side stun a Ukrainian team ranked 37 places above them, with Isaac Price also on target. On paper this was the hardest game in the group, yet Michael O'Neill's side brushed their hosts aside to move on to seven points from their opening three games since returning to the second tier — still yet to concede a goal heading into Monday's meeting with Georgia in Belfast.

Brown and Price put Ukraine to the sword

A positive start from Northern Ireland was quickly rewarded. Teenager Kieran Morrison floated a corner to the back post, where Ruairi McConville headed it back for Brown — earning his 33rd cap at the age of 28 and the only player in O'Neill's starting line-up over 24 — to prod home despite the desperate efforts of Illia Zabarnyi on the line.

Ukraine bossed the ball but struggled to break down their opponents, and the lead was doubled in the 22nd minute. As Northern Ireland countered, Morrison's first-time ball into the box was met powerfully by Price at the back post — handing the 19-year-old an assist in his first competitive international.

Brown's second arrived in bizarre fashion just after the hour. The Oxford defender went up to flick on Pierce Charles' free-kick from inside the Northern Ireland half, and Ukraine goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk let the bouncing ball squirm through his legs, the header trickling over the line in the 61st minute.

Ukraine's brief threat

Georgiy Sudakov was the first to get a sight of goal for the hosts, but his 19th-minute effort was straight at Charles, who later clawed away a powerful strike from Eduard Sarapii. Although Northern Ireland were made to do plenty of defending against a Ukraine side sporting 10 changes for a second straight match, the hosts created few clear chances.

Mykola Matviyenko threatened less than two minutes after the restart, but that proved a false dawn — moments later Northern Ireland were three up thanks to Riznyk's horror moment. Substitute Matvii Ponomarenko hit the outside of the post late on, but a shellshocked Ukraine rarely looked like getting back into the contest.

Youth policy pays off

O'Neill made three changes from Monday's goalless draw against Hungary in Belfast — a frustrating 0-0 at Windsor Park in which Patrick Kelly twice went close and Isaac Price was denied late, per reporting after that game. One change here was enforced, with Ethan Galbraith one of two players, along with Callum Marshall, absent for personal reasons. Justin Devenny and Kelly dropped out as Brodie Spencer, Terry Devlin and Morrison came in.

Morrison, on loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Liverpool, helped bring the average age of the side down to a flat 22 — Northern Ireland's youngest post-war starting XI — and justified his inclusion with the corner that led to the opener and the assist for Price's goal.

Echoes of Lyon, a decade on

This was the first competitive meeting with Ukraine since Northern Ireland's famous 2-0 win at Euro 2016 in Lyon — their first-ever victory at a European Championship, which marked its 10th anniversary this week. Ten years on, they delivered a performance that will have fans believing a major tournament beckons for this new generation.

Late on, Ceadach O'Neill came off the bench to make his fourth Northern Ireland appearance, ending any discussion of a possible switch to the Republic of Ireland for the Arsenal teenager.

For Brown, the night capped a memorable week: the defender, whose club form for Oxford this League One season had yielded one goal in six appearances, scrambled in his first international strike early on before adding a second — from a goalkeeper's nightmare — to cap a dominant, historic night for the Green and White Army.