It was a strange game for Northern Ireland, who went from being in complete control to looking shell-shocked in the space of five minutes after half-time. Tanya Oxtoby’s side took a deserved first-half lead through Brenna McPartland’s header, but they allowed Bosnia into the game. First of all, less than 60 seconds after the restart, Emina Ekic was allowed to run 60 yards unchallenged to slot home the equaliser. Three minutes later, a poor clearance by Rachel Dugdale was punished when Marija Milinkovic fired home a stunning 20-yard effort off the post. While Tuesday’s game had a happy ending, not being able to string a full 90-minute performance together can be a frustration when you see what Northern Ireland are capable of in fits and starts. Another worrying trend is the quickfire concession of goals, which also happened against Poland on Friday and again in the first leg of the Euro 2025 play-off with Norway before Christmas. Magill admits there was an “element of complacency” after dominating the first half, and her side must learn from that heading into April’s double-header with Romania.
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