Oxtoby praises NI's 'professional' win over Malta

Northern Ireland leader Tanya Oxtoby praised her side's "professional" show successful their 2-0 triumph against Malta successful Euro 2025 qualifying connected Friday night.

An early ain extremity from Emma Lipman and a precocious header from Kerry Beattie helped Northern Ireland to nan triumph which sealed a play-off spot for adjacent summer's Euros.

And Oxtoby was keen to applaud Northern Ireland's grit and determination to yet break down a stubborn Maltese defence.

"We said astir nan truth we would astir apt person to grind retired nan first half and that they were going to travel retired arsenic they had thing to lose," Oxtoby told BBC Sport NI.

"We rode our luck a small bit, but I thought we controlled nan crippled good successful nan 2nd half and created a really bully extremity which we had been moving on."

Malta had made a agleam commencement to nan crippled astatine nan Centenary Stadium successful sweltering conditions, pinch Haley Bugeja hitting nan station and Jackie Burns tipping complete an effort from Kailey Willis.

A youthful Northern Ireland side, pinch Simone Magill and Lauren Wade near connected nan chair and Kerry Beattie and Casey Howe replacing them successful nan starting line-up, struggled to get to grips pinch nan game.

That was until a fortuitous ain extremity from Lipman against nan tally of play gave nan visitors a astonishment lead and allowed players to travel retired of their shell.

"You gain your luck and successful nan past fewer games we person put successful capable bully performances to person 1 spell our way, and I deliberation it settled america and we controlled nan crippled really good 2nd half," Oxtoby explained.

"I thought nan group handled nan conditions really it was really basking successful nan first half but arsenic nan sun went down, we were capable to wrestle power and we were beautiful comfortable."

Looking up to Tuesday's crippled against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Oxtoby conceded that it is simply a "massive" opportunity aft Bosnia drew 0-0 pinch Portugal connected Friday.

The 2 sides are now level connected points up of nan crippled astatine Windsor Park, pinch nan victor sealing 2nd spot successful nan group which would perchance seal a seeded spot successful nan play-off tie adjacent week.

"I deliberation we want to support building, it is rest, retrieve and get ourselves backmost to Belfast and it's a monolithic crippled for us," Oxtoby said.

"We group ourselves nan target of six points successful this model and that hasn't changed, and we request to proceed to push this group arsenic acold arsenic we tin go."