Northern Ireland’s clash with Iceland pushed back 24 hours due to Reykjavik snow
Northern Ireland’s Nations League play-off second leg against Iceland in Reykjavik has been rescheduled for this evening after heavy snow forced a postponement on Tuesday.
Tanya Oxtoby’s side were scheduled to play Iceland at their national stadium Laugardalsvollur but extreme weather conditions forced the match to be pushed back by 24 hours.
The Icelandic capital had seen heavy snowfall throughout Tuesday with accumulations forecast to reach 50 centimetres over a 24-hour period, but conditions are expected to ease on Wednesday.
Northern Ireland face an uphill battle to turn their promotion/relegation play-off around after losing the first leg 2-0 at the Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday.
“It’s been a challenging day, but one that has brought this already tight-knit group even closer,” Oxtoby said. “The weather situation was, of course, beyond anyone’s control, and the conditions we’ve had to prepare in have been far from what I would consider a high-performance environment.
“However, through the efforts of Patrick (Nelson, Irish FA chief executive) and Conrad (Kirkwood, IFA president), we’ve worked closely with UEFA throughout the day to find a solution. While it’s not an ideal scenario, we now have clarity, and the team will be ready and focused for the game.”