Northern Ireland v Ukraine

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME On behalf of the Irish Football Association it gives me great pleasure to welcome the players and officials of Ukraine to Seaview in Belfast for this evening's UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 play-off match (second leg).

For both teams it is a hugely important game, which unfortunately has to be played behind closed doors due to ongoing Covid restrictions. Both ourselves and Ukraine are 90 minutes away from securing a place at Women’s Euro 2022, which is being staged in England. For Northern Ireland it is the most significant game in the history of our senior women’s team. They have, of course, already made history by securing a play-off for a major tournament for the first time - and they can now go one better by reaching a final tournament for the first time. The excellent 2-1 victory over Ukraine on Friday was a huge confidence booster. I thought we showed great determination and produced a fine display as we overcame the odds to beat the favourites in their own backyard. Rachel Furness, who has now scored more than 30 times for her country, showed great anticipation to open the scoring, while Simone Magill produced a moment of superb skill while netting the winner. Despite being ahead in the tie, I am sure Kenny Shiels and his players will not be taking anything for granted ahead of this crucial match. The manager will be focused on getting a result at Seaview and he will no doubt be urging his players to give their all in tonight’s encounter.

Great credit must go to Kenny, his backroom staff and the players for taking us this far. It has been quite a journey to date. Let’s hope the meticulous preparation work that goes on behind the scenes will bear fruit once again. Ukraine will be smarting after losing against us in Kovalivka, especially as it was a game they were expected to win. I expect them to have a real go in the second leg and we must be fully focused on thwarting them and making the most of opportunities when they come our way. Naturally, from a Northern Ireland perspective, it would be great to finish the job and play on the big stage in the summer of 2022. Thanks to Crusaders Football Club for placing their Seaview facilities at the disposal of the Association. This is greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy an exciting game tonight while watching from the comfort of your homes.. David J Martin President Irish Football Association players need to challenge themselves more in terms of their approach play. If we can do that I believe we can get the desired result. It’s easy to forget that our squad is largely made up of part-time players who return to their day jobs after each camp. Our opponents are all full-time professionals, whether in Ukraine or in other parts of Europe. However, as they showed on Friday, our players are willing to work their socks off for each other. Unfortunately we will not have Rachel Furness, who opened the scoring in Ukraine, in our ranks tonight. Rachel, who was tremendous for us during the qualification campaign and again on Friday before she hobbled off the pitch, has sustained an injury to her ankle which will keep her on the sidelines for quite some time. There’s no doubt her injury is a big blow to us, as she is a great leader on and off the pitch, however it simply means another player will have to step up to the plate. I believe any member of our squad can do that and I think Friday showed once again that those coming off the bench in games are always willing to battle for the cause. We have good depth to our squad. My approach to the game tonight is simple: we will be playing to win. We have won five matches in a row now and that has boosted our confidence levels greatly. Ukraine were unbeaten in six matches going in to Friday’s match, and they will be annoyed at that run coming to an end. We must be ready to repel any backlash. Sadly tonight’s game has to be played behind closed doors due to Covid protocols. It would have been great to have had a packed house at Seaview to cheer us on, however we know that Covid is still very much with us and we understand why precautions are still needed. Hopefully we will be able to give those watching the match at home on television something to cheer about. Kenny Shiels Northern Ireland Senior Women’s Manager MANAGER’S VIEW

For both countries there is a huge prize at stake tonight: a place at a major tournament. While I was naturally delighted with our 2-1 win in Kovalivka in the first leg on Friday evening, it is only half-time in the tie. As the underdogs we undoubtedly caused an upset at the Kolos Stadium, however I have not allowed the players or coaching staff to get carried away with the result. The commitment and desire shown by my team in the first leg really pleased me, and we will have to dig deep once again tonight if we are to book a place at the Euros in England in the summer of 2022. While it is good to be ahead in the tie I believe a single goal margin will not be enough against strong opponents. We simply can’t play for a draw. It’s not in our make-up to do that and I will be urging the players to get on the front foot. It was difficult to get playing our normal style in Kovalivka and I thought we lacked fluency at times. Tonight we need to be better with the ball and the We are delighted to welcome Ukraine to Belfast for the second leg of our two-leg UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 play-off.

PROUD PARTNER OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL