Northern Ireland will have 'one last swing' at World Cup place

What the report says

Northern Ireland manager Michael McArdle says his team will take “one last swing” at keeping their 2027 Women’s World Cup hopes alive when they face Portugal in the second leg of their play-off in Portimão on Tuesday. The BBC Sport Football report says Northern Ireland trail 4-0 after Friday’s first leg in Larne, where Portugal established control early and added a fourth goal before the break. McArdle had previously described the task as moving from unlikely to impossible, but said there is still value in approaching the return match positively and trying to make an early breakthrough.

The first leg also gave McArdle a chance to blood several younger players, including Jane McMaster, Kess Elmore and Charlotte Havern, although striker Cora Chambers is unavailable after being sent off late in the match. McArdle pointed to defensive gaps Portugal were able to exploit and said Northern Ireland needed to turn periods of pressure into actual goals.

Even so, a comeback would only be the start of a difficult path to a first World Cup. BBC Sport notes that Iceland are likely to be the next opponents if Northern Ireland overturn the deficit, with another possible inter-confederation play-off still ahead because of their Uefa ranking. McArdle said he has seen clear progress in his six months in charge and suggested the squad’s longer-term focus will soon shift toward Euro qualifying.