MOSCOW: Northern Ireland coach Michael O'Neill (pic) blasted the penalty decision that ended their hope of salvaging a point in the World Cup qualifiers as they lost 2-0 to Russia this morning.

The visitors were heavy underdogs for the Group F opener at Lokomotiv Stadium but Viktor Fayzulin's 30th minute effort was the only difference between the sides with 12 minutes remaining.

At that stage O'Neill was still harbouring hopes of a late smash and grab - a hope that disappeared when the referee awarded a penalty against Craig Cathcart.

The Blackpool defender did not appear to make any meaningful contact with Alexander Kokorin but also found himself booked.

Roman Shirokov slotted the penalty into the bottom corner to allow his side a comfortable conclusion to the match, leaving O'Neill to nurse a deep sense of injustice.

"I felt at 1-0 we were well in the game and that the penalty - a very soft penalty - killed the game for us," he said.

"I was very surprised by the decision. My initial reaction was that the referee had booked the striker for a theatrical fall.

"There looked to no contact whatsoever for the penalty but the pitch was very bad so maybe he lost his footing because of that.

"The referee was very fussy towards us throughout the night. The lads didn't deserve that, they deserved to stay in the game."

Northern Ireland's disappointment could have been even greater had key defender Jonny Evans been injured following an unusual incident on the stroke of half-time.

Evans lashed the ball into the crowd after being judged offside with the last kick of the first period and immediately went down in pain before hobbling from the pitch.

A hasty evaluation of the ankle he had surgery on over the summer saw him cleared to continue and O'Neill was cheered by the player's commitment.

The notoriously-protective Manchester United manager  Alex Ferguson may yet have a say in Evans' availability for Tuesday's home clash against Luxembourg, but O'Neill expects Evans to play.

"We examined Jonny thoroughly at half-time," he said. "I thought he showed magnificent character to play the 90 minutes and we think he'll be okay for Tuesday. It was just a knock.

"Right through the team there were some big, big performances but Jonny's performance with the knock typified the spirit we are hopefully building in this group of players. That will be very important for us going forward."

Despite defeat O'Neill believes his side showed all the core values he was looking for at the start of the new campaign.

"Russia are a very strong team, we knew that from the analysis we did," he said. "The team are very similar to the team under Dick Advocaat and we knew they would cause us problems.

"We could have been better in possession, the players know that, but I would rather focus on positives - the discipline, the shape and the work-rate of the team was fantastic."

Russia coach Fabio Capello, taking charge of the side for just the second time, was pleased to have negotiated the fixture successfully.

He admitted better performances will have to follow but was glad to register three points against opponents who were set-up for the draw on an uneven surface.

"It was difficult to find space today, with a lot of players around the goal. It was difficult to play a good game," said the former England boss.

"To play attractive football you need two good teams, here one team wanted to play long balls.

"It was also difficult because the pitch was not good and we could not play the ball properly. I am happy but I hope we play better some time. I sure we will get better."

- mD