Although England crushed Northern Ireland on Friday night, the team and supporters celebrated heartily in the south of England.
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At the end of their EC tournament, Northern Ireland received a 5–0 beating from England, but that did not discourage the supporters.
Throughout the tournament, Northern Ireland’s matches were packed with cheers and chants echoing through the stadium. The team, which ended the tournament with a goal difference of 1–11, joined the champions to celebrate with their supporters.
– We hope that young girls and boys will gain faith just from our participation. We know the nation is proud and the fans were singing throughout the tournament. The tournament was positive, Northern Ireland’s star player Rachel Furness said after the match.
See the festive mood in the video of the main picture.
Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan said that five years ago the team could not have imagined playing in the EC tournament.
– We never thought that we would sometimes play really well against top teams and players. “We have to continue to believe that we can challenge the top opponents,” Callaghan said.
He also insisted that the national football association must continue to invest in women’s football.
– Football leagues need to be made better. I hope we will get more sponsors and continue to develop because we will be able to play in these big tournaments.
In Southampton, southern England, the team’s “home stadium” had 30,785 spectators, the loudest of which were the supporters of the underdog. Northern Ireland played all three of their matches at St. Mary’s Stadium.
– The fans were incredible – a thousand of our supporters and we heard them over all the other noise, Callaghan beamed.
– I told the team that they must be proud of their development. We played well and improved match by match. I think we learned more from the tournament than any other team, head coach Kenny Shiels said.
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