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Farewell, Northern Ireland

Events, Football, Sports, Women's Euro 2022 / By /
Alessia Russo scoring against Northern Ireland in the Lionesses final group EURO game

Alessia Russo scoring against Northern Ireland. Photo taken from UEFA Women’s EURO Twitter.

 

England made it three wins out three in the group stage with a resounding 5-0 win over already eliminated Northern Ireland.

Except it didn’t matter.

Goals from Kirby, Mead, a brace from Russo and an own goal from Burrow-

Irrelevant.

Alessio Russo picked up the POTM award for an impressive second half cameo, which gives Sarina-

Not important.

There was only one thing that warranted praise at full-time, one thing worth celebrating at the sounding of the referee’s whistle. And that was the conclusion of an amazing summer for a group of players playing in their first ever tournament, backed by a fanbase that for 270 minutes never stopped making their presence known and their voices heard. Farewell, Northern Ireland, until next time.

For Northern Ireland, simply getting to a major tournament was an incredible achievement. They made it to the play-offs via the barest of margins, then beat Ukraine in both legs to reach the promised land. This was always going to be one step too far for them, like getting a child at a primary school to sit his GCSEs 8 years too soon. They’ll do their best, but it is asking far too much of them to get even achieve a passing grade. Kenny Shiels has made no secret of the fact that this Northern Ireland side were in no position to compete with the major players on the international scene. But the only way for the team to improve, develop and inspire is to make it to these tournaments, play their hearts out, and hope that one day, they will climb that mountain.

‘It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts’ is probably the most grating of cliches to tell children when they first take up sports, but for Northern Ireland, and their fans, that is what being at Euro 2022 was all about. Every moment, every save, every tackle, every escape, every decision that went their way was cheered to the rafters. When England had their early penalty decision ruled out by VAR, the green corner of St Marys exploded in celebration. They never stopped singing, never stopped cheering, never stopped banging that drum, even as the goals flew past Burns and the scoreline resembled more and more like something closer to cruelty rather than the pure talent exhibited against Norway. Just as the Dutch fans have wowed us with their zany antics, so to have the Northern Irish fans with their positivity and support in the face of the sad inevitable that would befall their team. There will always be a little corner of Southampton that is forever Northern Ireland.

It’s hard not to look at Northern Ireland at not just a team hoping to become more, but as a lens to the Lioness’ own past. Over 20 years ago, they arrived at Euro 2001 out of their depth and also went out at the group stage. They scored 1 goal. They got 1 point. They were thrashed 5-0 by Sweden and 3-0 by Germany. And it didn’t get better overnight either. Until Euro 2017, England had only ever managed to win 2 group stage games at Euro tournament football. They made it out of the group stage just once. Things are of course, a lot different now. There was a moment when for England, simply qualifying for a major tournament was cause for celebration, never mind actually doing well once they got there.

The England women's team made it to the final of the UEFA Women's Euros in 2009.
The England women’s team made it to the final of the UEFA Women’s Euros in 2009.

Now it is up to Northern Ireland to do the same, to seize this moment, and use it to continue to push for change, to improve the team, and by extension, women’s football as a whole. Like the Lionesses of old, plenty of these players aren’t even fully professional. If the NI FA want this team to be more than just tournament cannon fodder, then there are clear areas of improvement that need to be made. It has taken England up until now to look close to winning a major trophy, and they were blessed with some very talented players right at the start of their development cycle. It won’t be easy, but NI need to ensure that their team’s greatest ever moment in a major tournament isn’t just Julie Nelson pulling a goal back against Norway. The players don’t deserve that, and neither do the fans. There was an element of pride watching the players walk over to the green and white army at the end, who showered them with adoration and praise, even though their journey had ended so soon. It was only right that they were given a proper send off, and what better way than a rendition of Freed from Desire, the anthem that had carried the Northern Ireland Men’s Team through Euro 2016. A final roar sounded from the crowd as the opening beats belted themselves out of the tannoy system, and soon, ‘Will Griggs is on fire’ was the only thing that could be heard in the stadium.

Whilst the Northern Irish players were being given their farewells, the England players attempted to do a lap of honour of their own, although their thunder had been well and truly stolen. Their win completed another group stage grand slam, having now won 6 Euro group stage games in a row, and 11 tournament group stage games in a row (Olympics excluded). Gone are the days when England went into these games still requiring a result. The 8-0 thrashing of Norway had turned this into a dead rubber, making the result feel somewhat hollow. After Russo had scored her superb second goal, a twist to escape the defence and a shot blasted past Burns, the game, from an English perspective, lost all meaning. England had won, Northern Ireland had lost, and there were still over 30 minutes to plough through. With no need to chase the result, and players hoping to stay fit for the quarter final, the handbrake came firmly on as they cruised to the final whistle.

It’s difficult to analyse a game that had so little bearing on England’s tournament progression, nor possessed the same competitive edge that they will face in their next game. Fran Kirby looked good once again, capped off by a fine goal to ease any English nerves who may have feared Northern Ireland might achieve the unthinkable on their farewell tour. Alessia Russo’s second half brace moved her ahead of Ellen White on the England Euro 2022 goalscoring charts, giving Sarina food for thought on who should lead the line from the start in the next round. Ella Toone looks like a player who desperately needs a goal, showing plenty of glimpses of her talent, but lacking a cutting edge in the final third. Lauren Hemp, billed as England’s main star prior to the tournament, appears to have faded into the shadow of Beth Mead’s electric form, and neither she nor her replacement Chloe Kelly did anything today to take away her title of England’s Best Wide Forward. But they were through. As Northern Ireland said goodbye to Euro 2022, England headed off to prepare for the major tussle at Brighton next week. The group stage is over. Knockout round football has arrived.

 

Written by Adam Salter.

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