BELFAST, Northern Ireland (Interstat) — Ethan McGee scored in the 56th minute, and Linfield defeated Cliftonville 1-0 on Thursday at Windsor Park in the Northern Ireland Premiership. McGee’s goal was the only goal of the match. Linfield moved to 1-0 in the Premiership and 1-0 across all competitions. Cliftonville dropped to 0-1 in the Premiership and 0-1 across all competitions. The home side held on for the clean sheet after taking the lead in the second half. Cliftonville could not find an equalizer during the closing stages at Windsor Park. Linfield returns to action on Friday, Aug. 28, at Limavady. Cliftonville hosts Dungannon on Friday, Aug. 28. Both of those matches are Premiership fixtures. The teams met in Belfast for the first league game of the 2026-27 season. Linfield took all three points with McGee’s second-half strike. The result left Linfield with a perfect start and Cliftonville seeking its first win of the season.