Defender Gareth McAuley powered home Oliver Norwood’s free kick after 49 minutes shortly before torrential rain forced the referee to take the players off the pitch.
They returned two minutes later and Viktor Kovalenko struck a fierce shot just over the bar as Ukraine pressed for an equaliser but Niall McGinn struck deep into stoppage time to seal his side’s first win in a European Championship finals match.
Northern Ireland moved level on three points with Germany and Poland who meet in Paris later on Thursday. Ukraine remain bottom of the standings without a point.
(Reporting by Ed Osmond; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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