NI World Cup hopes gone from 'improbable to impossible'

Michael McArdle admits Northern Ireland's chances of beating Portugal in a Women's World Cup play-off have "gone from improbable to impossible" after a 4-0 first leg defeat. Michael McArdle admits Northern Ireland's chances of beating Portugal in a 2027 Women's World Cup play-off semi-final have "gone from improbable to impossible" after a 4-0 first leg defeat at Inver Park. Underdogs heading into the tie, Northern Ireland were 3-0 down at the break as a Telma Encarnacao penalty, a Jessica Silva finish and Rebecca Holloway's own goal gave Portugal a comfortable lead. Catarina Amado was sent off for a second yellow card with 25 minutes left to hand Northern Ireland momentum, but Fatima Pinto's goal meant Portugal will head into the second leg with a four-goal advantage.

The second leg takes place in Portimao on Tuesday, but Portugal are well-placed to set up a second round play-off tie, most likely against an Iceland side who won 4-0 in Croatia in their first leg. McArdle, who took over as Northern Ireland manager in March, felt there were positives from the game but said the scoreline was "sore" and "it hurts". "It feels a bit harder on us than the actual game produced," said the Scot. "We're hurting in that aspect. There are lots of positives there, which we'll take and we'll move