One more step. That’s all that stands between Northern Ireland and qualification for the Women’s Euro 2025 Finals.
While facing Norway in the final stage Play-off might be a big step, the dream of back-to-back Euros is still alive.
Only just, though, after a nervy, tense and, at times, turgid battle with Croatia that was only settled in the 114th minute,
When Northern Ireland needed a bit of magic, Lauren Wade, who is the only player to start every game under Tanya Oxtoby’s management, produced it with a stunning strike from just outside the 18-yard box.
Now the Norwegians await in a two-legged battled in late November/early December with a place in Switzerland next summer the big prize.
Oxtoby’s team showed two changes from the first leg, Rachel Dugdale missing out altogether after taking a blow to the face late in Friday’s first leg and Keri Halliday dropping out. Joely Andrews and Casey Howe, who created the crucial goal that had the tied poised at 1-1, came in as replacements.
That the led to a shift on the pitch, with Wade occupying the left-back role while Howe played in front of her.
Howe almost justified her selection with only three minutes played, her rasping volley when a corner was was only cleared to the edge of the box flying only inches over the bar.
The same crossbar then denied Simone Magill what would have been a special goal in her first appearance as captain in the 10th minute when the ball broke to her at the corner of the six-yard box after Rebecca McKenna had volleyed the ball through to her.
At that stage it felt like it would only be a matter of time before a goal would come. As it was, though, that early flourish wasn’t maintained – indeed, seconds after Magill hit the woodwork, Ivana Rudelic found herself one-on-on with Jackie Burns at the other end and wasted a glorious chance to give Croatia the lead when her shot hit the Northern Ireland goalkeeper’s legs.
While Northern Ireland controlled possession, dominated the ball and were always looking for opportunities to break the Croatia backline, very little was sticking at the top end, be it wide to Danielle Maxwell on the right, Howe on the left, Magill up front or Andrews when she broke from midfield, so getting runners off the ball in those circumstances was nigh on impossible.
With no goal meaning the tie was still very much in the balance, it meant Northern Ireland were always vulnerable to being broken down by one long ball or a quick passing phase, and Tea Krznaric – who was brought into the Croatia team from the first leg – benefited from one of each in shooting over the bar from distance n the first half and then into the diving Burns’ legs from close range early in the second from Rudelic’s pull back.
When trying to work the ball through the Croatia defence by passing it didn’t work, Rebecca McKenna decided to drive into the box after picking up Andrews’ lay off and goalkeeper Doris Bacic pushed her effort into the side netting.
Croatia had got to the hour mark by executing the perfect game plan for an away team and more and more they began to push forward – albeit without ever looking a major danger outside of Izabela Lojna breaking in from the right wing and shooting from a tight angle, forcing Burns to divert the ball over the bar with an outstretched arm.
Gradually, extra-time became an inevitability and with that the jeopardy increased.
So, too, did Croatia’s threat. There was brief moment of worry when Brenna McPartlan and Laura Rafferty combined to block Maja Joscak’s shot, which spun out for a corner, before a real scare for Northern Ireland just before the break in extra-time.
Janja Canjevac’s shot across goal from the left looked to be heading wide, but Nat Johnson, who had just come on to make her senior debut, wasn’t about to take the chance. Her attempt to block the ball took it towards the line and she then had to scramble clear under pressure.
Johnson had been introduced in order to get Wade higher up the pitch in her natural role and the long-awaited breakthrough finally came from her with just six minutes remaining.
She had already brought a fingertip save from Bacic when coming in from the left wing, and as Northern Ireland kept the ball alive from the resulting corner and Maxwell’s low cross was only partially cleared, Wade won it and then let fly from the edge of the box with a superb strike that flew straight into the top right corner of the net to win the game.
Northern Ireland: Burns; McKenna, Rafferty, Holloway; Maxwell (Burrows 120), McPartlan, Scofield (McDaniel 59), Wade; Andrews (McCarron 84), Magill (Wilson 84), Howe (Johnson 97).
Subs not used: Norney, Harvey-Clifford, Bell, Sweetlove, Halliday, Mason, McLaren.
Croatia: Bacic; Pezelj (Dordic 115), Nevrkla, Jelencic, Canjevac; Galic (Vracevic 117), Krznaric (Lubina 107), Joscak; Markovic (Mikulica 86), Rudelic, Lojna.
Subs not used: Filipovic, Radolovic, Zivkovic, Orkic, Spajic, Dulcic, Kunstek, Jedvaj.
Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)
Relive all the action on our LIVE blog below!
She’s just been denied a glorious goal by Doris Bacic but from the resulting corner she slams in one that’s equally as good to put Northern Ireland firmly in the driving seat to win this game!
The set piece is headed away by Croatia but it’s worked back across the face of the box to Danielle Maxwell down the right-hand side. Her cross is low and cleared away by Kristina Nevrkla but it’s straight to the feet of Wade, who takes one touch and lashes her shot from outside the box right into the top corner to leave Bacic with no chance!
It’s Wade who gets the effort away from the left edge of the box after a mazy run from Chloe McCarron, who lays the ball off to her team-mate to shoot, but Bacic gets a firm palm on the ball to put it over the bar for the corner with Louise McDaniel lurking for any potential rebound!
Give them credit, both sides are going for this in the dying stages rather than just sitting back.
A shot across the face of goal deflects off the defender and nearly spins across the line but she manages to recover and clear it just in the nick of time! That close to a Croatian goal!
Izabela Lojna comes across to take the corner and it’s headed just over by Joscak!
The free-kick into the box is delivered to the back post, there’s McPartlan to win the header and it’s flashed across the face of goal where Louise McDaniel nearly taps it in!