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Luxembourg 1-2 Northern Ireland
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Rebecca McKenna celebrates her late winner
William Cherry/Presseye
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Stuart McKinley
Northern Ireland’s new chapter after the highs of the Women’s Euro 2022 finals kicked off with a mix of emotions in Luxembourg.
Three points from a 2-1 win that secured third place in their Women’s World Cup 2023 qualifying group was the one main positive. An impressive period of pressure in the opening minutes of the second half, when Sarah McFadden scored the opening goal, was another.
Prior to that Kenny Shiels’ team had struggled to break down a defensive Luxembourg team and then had to rally late on after conceding an equaliser to Amy Thompson 10 minutes from time as Rebecca McKenna struck a fine winner with five minutes remaining.
While it all worked out in the end result wise, Shiels will be demanding more in terms of performance come Tuesday’s final game of the campaign in Latvia.
It wasn’t all out with the old and in with the new – Kenny Shiels doesn’t have the luxury of being able to completely refresh his squad – but given the number of players not available the team did have a different look, particular at the top end of the pitch.
In front of goalkeeper Jackie Burns the was no shortage of caps in the back four of Rebecca McKenna, Julie Nelson, Sarah McFadden and Demi Vance.
Captain Marissa Callaghan, on her birthday, brought plenty of experience to the midfield, while Chloe McCarron and Kirsty McGuinness are in the bracket of being established since their early twenties.
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In contrast the youthful trio of Joely Andrews, Louise McDaniel and Caitlin McGuinness were all only making their second competitive starts.
A mix of things – a post-Euro 2022 hangover, a lack of experience in key positions, an unfamiliarity with each other in terms of playing together before and Luxembourg’s tight midfield and defensive unit – probably all contributed to a performance which only produced fast, fluid football in bursts. Particularly in the first half.
It was two of the most inexperienced players who actually came closest to scoring in the opening third of the game.
Andrews brought a fine save from Lucie Schlime after 14 minutes, which the Luxembourg goalkeeper palmed away.
Schlime was beaten all ends up on 33 minutes when Caitlin McGuinness won the ball back on the left of the penalty area after she’d lost control at a throw in and she was frustrated to see her curling come back off the angle of post and crossbar.
In between Luxembourg created the best chance of the first half by the direct route when Schlime launched the ball forward, Laura Miller collected and played the ball across the 18-yard line for Marta Estevez Garcia, who somehow completely missed the target with only Burns to beat.
Shiels didn’t wait to make changes, introducing Nadene Caldwell, Rebecca Holloway and Caragh Hamilton at half time in an attempt to impact the game.
Those changes quickly put Northern Ireland much more on the front foot. Indeed within a couple of minutes Caitlin McGuinness missed a great chance after being played in by Vance, but the deadlock was finally broken seven minutes into the second half, with Vance the architect.
Her corner from the right wasn’t dealt with at all and McFadden rose at the back post to plant a header into the net.
Within the next five minutes Northern Ireland could have scored three more. Caitlin McGuinness had a shot charged down, Holloway failed to connect at the back post after a driven cross from Hamilton and Callaghan’s follow up was blocked before Caldwell’s effort from the edge of the box crashed off the base of the post.
Northern Ireland paid for those misses – and some sloppy play at the back – when Luxembourg landed a sucker punch with 10 minutes to go.
Nelson tried to kick the ball off Thompson’s legs, but only managed to lose it to the Luxembourg playmaker, who then hit a first-time chip from a tight angle that went through the gloves of Burns and into the net.
The scorer was then sent off after pulling up her shirt as she celebrated the goal, having been yellow carded earlier in the game.
Against just 10 players Northern Ireland poured forward again and Nelson – midway inside the opposition half – was much better on the ball as she found McKenna racing into the box and she struck a powerful drive from 15 yards inside the far post to win the game.
LUXEMBOURG: Schlime, Dos Santos, Have, Kremer, Tiberi (Becker 65 mins), Jorge (Marques 74 mins), Miller, Soares (Mendes 65 mins), Thompson, Schmit (Lourenco 84 mins), García (Ludwig 84 mins). Unused subs: Goetz, Weyer, Delgado, Schon, Marques, Kocan, Lourenco, Albert.
NORTHERN IRELAND: Burns, McKenna, Nelson, McFadden, Vance, McCarron (Caldwell 46 mins), Andrews (Holloway 46 mins), Callaghan (Magee 82 mins), McDaniel (Hamilton 46 mins), C McGuinness, K McGuinness. Unused subs: Turner, Woods, McKimm, Wade, Finnegan, Mason, Wilson, Beattie.
Referee: Jelena Pejkovic (Croatia).
Player of the match: Sarah McFadden
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