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Kirsty McGuinness put Northern Ireland ahead with a magnificent goal after the visitors took the lead at Seaview
Northern Ireland rebounded superbly from an early setback to beat the Faroe Islands 5-1 and keep their historic dream of Euro 2022 alive.
The victory secured the tie-breaker giving Northern Ireland a chance to qualify for a first major women’s tournament.
Rachel Furness scored twice with Chloe McCarron and the McGuinness sisters, Kirsty and Caitlin, also on target.
Jensa Kannuberg Torolvsdottir put the visitors ahead, but Furness quickly leveled and the hosts took control.
It was the fourth consecutive win in qualifying for Kenny Shiels’ confident team, who can now look forward to a two-legged tiebreaker next spring for a place in the 2022 final in England.
The fact that there were no fans in North Belfast Stadium did not stop the fantastic scenes of celebration on the pitch with the final whistle between the players, coaching staff and Northern Ireland officials.
Having won two points in their first four games before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Northern Ireland knew they had to win the remaining four games to have a chance of making the play-offs, and that’s what they did. .
It means that a country that has never come close to reaching a major tournament before could be only two games away from creating history and giving women’s football in Northern Ireland the biggest boost it has ever had.
Northern Ireland celebrated emotional success at Seaview despite no fans McGuinness and Furness lead recovery
Northern Ireland entered the game as strong favorites, but were surprised with a first goal in the fourth minute from the inexperienced visitors, with a shot from Kara Djurhuus that deflected Julie Nelson and got in the way of Torolvsdottir, who swept past house from close up.
Northern Ireland tied in two minutes. McGuinness played a short corner kick to McCarron, whose cross found Rachel Furness, and the Liverpool forward found the net with a header that appeared to have been deflected by teammate Ashley Hutton.
The second goal for the hosts was a beautiful shot from Kirsty McGuinness. A good run and a pass from Wade put Sion Swifts to the side and, after threatening to shoot with his left, he cut inside and found the far corner of the net with a curly effort with his right foot.
Northern Ireland’s third 11 minutes after the break was even better, as impressive midfielder McCarron picked up the ball and launched a shot from 25 meters that gave the visiting goalkeeper no chance.
More history was made with the fourth in the 77th minute, when 19-year-old substitute Caitlin McGuinness finished well to mark the first time she and her prolific older sister Kirsty were on the field together for Northern Ireland.
Furness, a constant threat throughout, claimed his second three minutes to go thanks to a large deflection from defender Brita Ryan that deflected his effort at the back post.
Senior players star in the decisive night
Shiels said in the run-up to this match that the opportunity to reach a tiebreaker for a major tournament was “payback” for a group of older players who have been faithful servants of the Northern Ireland women’s international team.
Loyalists like Julie Nelson, Hutton and Furness have endured numerous unsuccessful qualifying campaigns over their 15-year international careers and, along with captain Marissa Callaghan, will have savored Tuesday’s victory as much as anyone.
In particular, Nelson was excellent in a back-three alongside Ashley Hutton and Sarah McFadden, who replaced the injured Demi Vance as they provided a solid platform for the team to play the expansive style their coach demands.
Nelson, well accustomed to Seaview’s pitch as a Crusaders player, continually served the ball from behind before throwing forward searching passes, the ball diagonally to McGuinness down the left particularly effective.
Furness was full of runs throughout and, in addition to her ability to find gaps in front of the four visitors’ defenders, she deserved to claim two goals, even if deflections played a role in both.
Kenny Shiels and his son Dean have instilled faith in Northern Ireland players, an integral part of NI’s new trust.
Kenny Shiels was perhaps a surprise choice when he was appointed manager of the women’s international team in May 2019, taking over when Alfie Wylie resigned after a 15-year stint at the helm.
Having won trophies in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, his coaching pedigree was strong, but the former Kilmarnock manager’s three-year reign in Derry City had ended with the capture seven months earlier.
She said early on that she wanted to introduce an offensive and progressive style of play into the women’s team and, even after their 6-0 losses to Norway in two of their first three matches, she was confident that the team had the ability to deliver.
Working with a packed panel of Irish Premiership players, he spent time on training ground after the lockout wisely, with many team members reflecting in recent weeks on the positivity and faith he has instilled in them.
Credit should also go to his son, Dean, whom Shiels hired as a coach, with the former Northern Ireland forward taking a leadership role in practice and helping implement the cutting-edge strategy favored by his father.
The coach could often be heard instructing his players to keep the ball moving faster, and whatever he was saying worked as his team ran out of fantastic winners on a historic night.
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Source: bbc.com
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