Northern Ireland women suffer heavy defeat in Portugal
Northern Ireland suffered their first defeat of the Euro 2025 qualifying campaign as they went down 4-0 to Portugal in Leiria.
Carole Costa opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the first half and Lucia Alves doubled the advantage four minutes into the second half.
Catarina Amado added a third with seven minutes left before Alves got her second deep into stoppage time.
After taking four points from their opening two games, this was always Northern Ireland’s toughest game on paper and they were grateful to both goalkeeper Jackie Burns and the offside flag for ensuring the scoreline was not any higher.
The threat was apparent just seconds in when Telma Encarnacao sought to take advantage of a mistake from Demi Vance, with Rebecca McKenna deflecting her header before her overhead kick on the follow up went over.
In the 23rd minute, Burns parried away Joana Marchao’s free-kick and McKenna was guilty of a push on Alves as the battled for the rebound, with Costa scoring from the spot.
Burns then made a key save, parrying Jessica Silva’s cross and pushing Alves’ shot on to the crossbar.
It was one-way traffic and Portugal doubled their lead in style at the start of the second half, with Alves breaking the offside trap and controlling a long ball from Andreia Jacinto before clipping it over Burns.
Ana Borges then headed on to the crossbar before Encarnacao’s overhead kick went narrowly over.
Burns denied substitute Diana Silva but the third goal came late on when substitute Amado raced on to Costa’s pass and lifted the ball over Burns, and Alves added a fourth in the sixth minute of time added on, making space to poke home a shot from Amado’s cross.
The two sides will meet again at Mourneview Park on Tuesday.
PORTUGAL: Morais, Borges, Costa, Gomes, Sousa Alves, Jacinto, Norton, Marchao, Nazareth, Jessica Silva, Encarnacao. Subs: Cota-Yarde, Teixeira Pereira, Amado, Cameirao, Dias, Faria, Martins, Ribeiro, Rute, Seica, Diana Silva, Dolores Silva.
NORTHERN IRELAND: Burns, McKenna, Rafferty, Holloway, Vance, Dugdale, Caldwell, McCarron, Wade, Halliday, Magill. Subs: Perry, Harvey-Clifford, Callaghan, McPartlan, Maxwell, Burrows, Hamilton, McDaniel, Wilson, Andrews, Beattie, Howe.