Northern Ireland v Norway: Julie Nelson’s history with Euro 2025 play-off opponents
Highs, lows & ‘a pure transition’ – Nelson’s history with Norway
Image source, Press OgleJulie Nelson helped book Northern Ireland to the Euro 2022 finals
Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI Journalist
Few avid gamers learn about the specter of Norway as a lot as Julie Nelson.
From the highs, lows and every thing that consists of taking on one of basically the most attention-grabbing teams on the earth, she has skilled it all.
Norway have been dotted all the draw in which thru Northern Ireland’s traipse from outsiders to history makers, coping with off seven cases in the pronounce of 11 years.
Now, basically the most in model chapter could be written because the sides meet in a play-off to search who will attain the Euro 2025 finals in Switzerland.
On paper, it is onerous to search previous Norway. They’re ranked 29 places increased than Northern Ireland and defeated Albania 14-0 on combination in their opening play-off.
No longer only that, nonetheless taking the three most most in model fixtures in opposition to Northern Ireland, which span from 2019 to 2022, Norway preserve a 16-1 combination serve.
“Northern Ireland love being the underdogs,” talked about susceptible Northern Ireland defender Nelson, who is her country’s legend caps holder with 130 appearances.
“We now have been old to that over time. It is a long way a big process nonetheless anything is feasible in football.”
If Northern Ireland are to stun one of many giants of European football, then they would presumably even honest must channel the spirit of 2011, on a frosty November afternoon in Lurgan.
It changed into as soon as an evening that future Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg made her global debut susceptible 15, nonetheless it changed into as soon as Northern Ireland who were celebrating after a renowned 3-1 receive.
“I compose no longer maintain it be one which she remembers nonetheless it be one we undoubtedly have in mind,” talked about Nelson, 39.
“It changed into as soon as inconceivable. At that stage Norway were ranked 2nd in Europe and no person changed into as soon as giving us a gamble at beating them. It changed into as soon as one thing special.”
Norway would receive the return fixture in that marketing campaign 2-0, and they would be drawn together but again in 2019 World Cup qualifying, when the Norwegians triumphed 4-1 in Fredrikstad and 3-0 in Portadown in 2018.
Hastily ahead to the following year, Norway came to Belfast for the first match below Kenny Shiels in qualifying for Euro 2022.
Norway were at their ruthless easiest and ran out 6-0 winners, and it changed into as soon as the identical scoreline in Oslo the following month as Northern Ireland tailored to a novel sort of play.
‘The pronounce erupted’
After Northern Ireland pulled off a miracle to qualify for the finals, their paths would incorrect again on a historic summer season evening in Southampton.
It changed into as soon as Northern Ireland’s first ever match at a women folks’s main match, so it changed into as soon as becoming that Norway were the opposition given the familiarity that had been there over time.
It changed into as soon as a fairtytale traipse to the finals, nonetheless a nightmare originate as netted as Norway raced into a 3-0 lead at St Mary’s.
Barcelona megastar Caroline Graham Hansen – basically the most attention-grabbing player Nelson says she has ever confronted – netted her ninth aim in opposition to NI and Guro Reiten made it 5 targets in as many fits. As Nelson talked about, “we were admire rabbits in the headlights”.
“They were ruthless and even as you give them any opportunities they’re going to rating at will,” recalled Nelson.
“Then we had honest a runt of a team talk on the pitch.”
That perceived to compose the trick, because the underdogs regathered and obtained a renowned aim when Nelson managed to rating on the reside of Rachel Furness’ driven effort again across aim.
Image source, Getty Photos
Nelson scored Northern Ireland’s first aim at a main match in opposition to Norway in 2022
Nelson proper managed to rating ample route on the ball for it to roam over the twin carriageway. After a transient VAR test, there changed into as soon as pandemonium because the aim changed into as soon as awarded.
“Furney gentle says it changed into as soon as a incorrect nonetheless we’ll leave that up for debate. Fortunately I changed into as soon as in a dilemma to react in time to rating my head on the ball. The pronounce erupted.
“It changed into as soon as a truly special occasion for myself, my family were there and it changed into as soon as special in your total team with the landmark for Northern Ireland football.
“It is gentle honest a runt surreal seeing it going in. It is one thing I could no longer tire of staring at, notably seeing the response from my team-mates and fans.”
Nelson feels there changed into as soon as growth in women folks’s football in Northern Ireland since her aim and the historic summer season in 2022.
She sides to the “landmark” introduction of equal pay, whereby the women folks’s team and men’s team are on an equal footing.
As a coach with the Irish FA, she is overjoyed by the subsequent generation of avid gamers coming thru.
“Most of them will have taken it up off the again of us qualifying and competing at these Euros. Lengthy could presumably even honest it proceed and confidently heaps of them will wear the senior shirt in a roundabout draw.”
‘It would possibly presumably be inconceivable’
Image source, Getty Photos
Caroline Graham Hansen, pictured right here with Nelson in 2018, has scored 9 of her 47 global targets in opposition to Northern Ireland
Whereas Nelson is overjoyed for the prolonged flee, all eyes are firmly on Friday’s first leg at Inver Park.
Taking part in in a game of this magnitude could be a novel journey to heaps of Oxtoby’s squad, with only 11 of of us that featured at Euro 2022 fascinated with the present squad.
The advent of Oxtoby in the summer season of 2023 has considered a swift shift in transition, with Nelson one of a necessity of skilled avid gamers who are no longer enthusiastic.
“It is allotment of the pure transition that changed into as soon as going to happen after the Euros given the age of a couple of of the avid gamers,” talked about Nelson, who added “it repeatedly happens in football”.
“It has occurred rather instant and it has given opportunities now for younger avid gamers to return in and stake their divulge.”
Now cheering the team on from outdoor the playing neighborhood, Nelson says it would possibly really presumably be “a excellent wanting fulfillment” if Northern Ireland could presumably even make more history.
“It would possibly presumably even be an enormous studying different, notably for the younger avid gamers. No longer heaps of them have been in a game admire this earlier than or this scenario.
“Taking part in in opposition to the highest of the diversity avid gamers, you will learn what the demands are to play at that level.
“You would possibly want to compose issues sooner, it is most life like to maintain sooner and it is most life like to react sooner, and it raises the game for you as a person and you behold the identical old it is most life like to rating to even as it is most life like to compete in opposition to those teams.
“To qualify as soon as for Northern Ireland changed into as soon as big, nonetheless to compose it again would proper be inconceivable.”
