‘Proud’ Oxtoby says NI can improve after play-off loss

Tanya Oxtoby, manager of Northern Ireland, claims there are “areas where we can really improve” but that she is proud of her team after the Nations League play-off defeat.

Iceland won the two legs 5-0 on aggregate, keeping them in League A for 2027 World Cup qualifying, whereas Oxtoby’s team will stay in League B.

Due to heavy snowfall in Reykjavik forcing the game to be postponed on Tuesday, the second leg was delayed by a day.

The hosts won the game on Wednesday after running out 3-0 winners, thanks to Sveindis Jonsdottir, Hlin Eiriksdottir, and Emilia Asgeirsdottir.

Oxtoby said, “I said at the start of the tie that we would end up where we deserve to end up.”

“I believed there were some really, really good things in that tonight.

Oxtoby praised how her players and staff had adjusted as a result of the second leg’s delay, saying it had been “challenging” and that she was “super proud” of how the team had adjusted.

The former Chelsea assistant manager said there is still a long way to go “in the women’s game” in terms of professionalism and the way things are done, putting in another question about the “professional courtesy” in Croatia last year.

The nation should be extremely proud of the players for what they’ve had to deal with over the past few days, she continued. “The group should come out and perform how they did.”

Because they failed to reach the top tier for the first time, Northern Ireland will remain in League B for World Cup qualifying, according to Oxtoby, who stated, “we have work to do.”

However, the Australian described the development of her young squad as “night and day” since she became manager in September 2023.

Their request to fulfill our request is nothing short of extraordinary, in my opinion. She said, “I believe there are some small areas where we need to develop, especially in possession.”

The players are aware of the areas we need to improve in, and I believe that comes with time. We must stick together because we can’t change that with our fingers.