Northern Ireland found the going tough in stage one of the European qualifiers for the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup.
But manager Keith Gibson remained upbeat after his side were defeated by Czechia, Ukraine and France, saying they had experienced “a massive learning curve”.
European qualifying for the World Cup – it is being staged in the Philippines in November/December next year – consists of a main round this autumn and an elite round next spring.
Northern Ireland competed in Group 3, one of six four-team groups in the main round, and the G3 mini tournament was staged in Teplice in Czechia.
In their first game they came up against the Czechs, who were roared on by a large and noisy home crowd.
From the start their star player, Denisa Skalova, gave the Northern Ireland defence all sorts of problems. By half-time she had scored twice and Northern Ireland were 3-0 down.
A much better second half performance, driven by Sam Kelly being everywhere on the court, kept the game tight but when the visitors were pushing forward they were caught on the break and Skalova completed her hat-trick in a 6-0 win.
Ukraine proved to be tough opposition in game two. Most of the Ukrainian squad play professionally in Spain and Portugal and they oozed class and confidence.
Northern Ireland produced a better overall performance than in the first game but despite a strong defensive showing, particularly from Jane McMaster and Erin Hennity, the game ended in defeat.
Gibson’s side created several chances, with Rachel McConnell, Beth McKay, Megan Weatherall and Aimee-Lee Peachey all going close, but they just could not find the back of the net. Ukraine won the game 6-0.
France, who had not played in a qualification tournament before, were Northern Ireland’s final opponents in the group.
The French Football Federation has invested heavily in the team in recent years and it showed. They were a slick outfit.
Northern Ireland held them until the 15th minute before conceding. Again it was a great defensive performance with the whole squad working at an incredible tempo to keep the French out and launch a succession of counter attacks.
Northern Ireland were unfortunate to find themselves three down at half-time.
The intensity rose in the second half but keeper Alice Harkness-Armstrong was magnificent in making save after save. France scored twice after the break, but two well taken goals from Amber Dempster meant the final score was 5-2.
Afterwards the manager said: “This was a massive learning curve for us to play teams at this level. We can hold our heads high that we dug in and earned plaudits from the other teams at how hard we were to break down.
“This squad has developed well over the last couple of years and we will continue to work hard to improve our performance levels.”
During the mini tournament Gibson gave a debut to 17-year-old keeper Laura Newman.
The Northern Ireland senior women’s futsal squad for the World Cup qualifiers (main round) was as follows:
Goalkeepers – Alice Harkness-Armstrong (Chiltern), Laura Newman (Rosario).
Defenders – Erin Hennity (Bangor Ladies), Shannon Dunne (Derry City), Jane McMaster (Linfield Women).
Midfielders – Samantha Kelly and Megan Weatherall (both Afrimeripean), Siobhan Bell (St James’ Swifts), Beth McKay (Edinburgh Inter), Jessica Rea (Crusaders), Ellen McCartney (Camlough Rovers).
Attackers – Amber Dempster (Bangor Ladies), Rachel McConnell (Afrimeripean), Aimee-Lee Peachey (Lisburn Ladies).
Action from Czechia game
