Northern Ireland 0 Norway 4

A bad night for Northern Ireland brought a 4-0 win for Norway in Belfast and an off the field row with Celtic midfielder Neil Lennon who says he is to quit the team after sectarian abuse against him at Windsor Park.

The Celtic star was booed in the first half and taken out of game by manager Sammy McIlroy at half time.

The manager had asked Ulster fans on Monday not to abuse the Celtic midfielder but there was abuse for the player from a small section of the crowd which produced an angry reaction from Lennon when he was interviewed by the BBC during the interval.

The Northern Ireland team traditionally draw their support from the Loyalist community and Celtic's signing of Lennon has angered a small section of their fans. Celtic are supported by Ulster's Republican minority who ignore the chance to support the Northern Ireland team.

The problems with Lennon are certain to overshadow this match but after a bright start which saw Gerry Taggart head a good chance over the crossbar the team made mistakes.

The right hand side of defence was their particular weakness and Norway cashed in three times before the break.

In the 20th minute Aaron Hughes sent a short back pass to goalkeeper Maik Taylor allowed Thorstein Helstad to round the 'keeper and score.

Twelve minutes later John Carew buried a low drive inside the far corner.

Carew robbed Taggart in the 37th minute and set up Stale Stensaas up for a low finish.

A stale second half saw Norway go quiet after scoring their fourth goal. Carew crossed for Helstad to claim his second in the 48th minute.