BELFAST, Northern Ireland (Jan. 3, 2026) (Interstat) — Linfield opened its Premiership campaign with a commanding 6-1 victory over Bangor at Windsor Park on Saturday, far exceeding a pregame projection of a close match.

Charlie Allen and Matt Yates scored in quick succession early, netting in the 17th and 19th minutes to set the tone. Christopher McKee and Matthew Fitzpatrick then scored four minutes apart early in the second half. Fitzpatrick added his second goal in the 76th minute before Bangor found a late consolation.

The result defied Interstat’s game simulator, which had projected a 2-1 Linfield win. Its ELO system gave the hosts a 91.2% probability to win. Linfield begins the season 1-0-0, while Bangor starts 0-1-0.