Northern Ireland 'more prepared' for Portugal - Oxtoby

Northern Ireland head Tanya Oxtoby has challenged her broadside to "make amended decisions nether pressure" successful their Euro 2025 qualifier against Portugal.

Oxtoby's broadside were beaten 4-0 by a objective Portugal broadside successful Leiria connected Friday, but nan leader believes they are now amended equipped to look nan group leaders connected location ungraded and study from their mistakes.

"I thought we performed good successful periods of nan crippled connected Friday, but we made immoderate errors, and we were punished," she told BBC Sport NI.

"We’ve been moving connected those themes that came done from Portugal erstwhile they were successful possession, truthful I consciousness we’re a spot much prepared."

Northern Ireland look Portugal astatine Mourneview Park successful Lurgan arsenic Windsor Park is undergoing maintenance.

In erstwhile years, Seaview successful northbound Belfast, which has a 4G pitch, has been nan unofficial location of nan Northern Ireland women's broadside but successful caller matches, they person played much astatine nan National Stadium, connected a writer pitch.

"Grass is ever my penchant and nan writer transportation present [at Mourneview Park] is simply a awesome surface," she explained.

"I’m excited to spot nan girls play astatine Mourneview and it’s bully to get retired and astir [in Northern Ireland]."

Oxtoby wants Northern Ireland who are 2nd Group B3, a constituent up of 3rd spot Bosnia-Herzegovina, to attraction connected making bully decisions erstwhile they triumph nan shot successful affirmative areas against Francisco Neto's side.

"For america it’s astir modulation to retain, erstwhile we get nan shot backmost tin we spell create a extremity scoring opportunity aliases do we request to effort support possession and beryllium braver successful tight areas because they do property rather well.

"When you play bully teams, they accommodate and set and fixed that were a younger squad connected our travel it takes america a spot longer to make those tweaks truthful nan situation to our girls is to make amended decisions nether unit because Portugal are a really bully team."