Northern Ireland 2-2 Austria: Disappointment shows how far NI have come ahead of Euros draw

Lauren Wade (right) and Demi Vance (centre) fired Northern Ireland back into the game

"It shows how far we have come that there is a sense of disappointment with a draw against the second seeds in the group, but we also have to be proud of what we have achieved tonight."

If there was one sentence which has summed up Northern Ireland's progression under Kenny Shiels, it was this by Lauren Wade.

There was a sense of dread when Barbara Dunst opened the scoring for Austria shortly before half-time in World Cup qualifying at Seaview.

We will never know what manager Shiels said at the interval, but Northern Ireland were a different side after the break and Wade equalised just 43 seconds after the restart.

Then, out of nowhere, Demi Vance, with an almost effortless swipe of her left leg, hit a stunning free-kick beyond the reach of Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger. Suddenly, from despair there was pandemonium.

Just like holding England out for 64 minutes at Wembley on Saturday, the traditional determined nature of this Northern Ireland side began to shine through.

• NI denied famous win by late Austria equaliser

The returning fans at Seaview, present at a competitive NI fixture in north Belfast for the first time in almost two years, were heading every ball and making every challenge with those on the pitch.

However, with professional players against the part-time players in green, late pressure told and Stefanie Enzinger earned the Austrians, 27 places above NI in the world rankings, a point from the brink.

"With that sucker punch at the end it just wasn't to be, but we are so proud of how far we have come," said Wade.

"We have shown over the past two years what we are capable of. We had a lot of support out here tonight and that spurs us on. Teams come here and they respect what we have done.

"Over the past 10 days we have played the two hardest teams in our group and we have shown that we are able to compete with that."

'Everyone should be so proud of them'

Being the eternal underdogs, NI are used to battling against the odds and showing spirit, however it was visible more so than ever at Seaview on Tuesday.

Shiels has a reputation as a footballing maverick, but the proof of his managerial abilities lie in this Northern Ireland team and his part-time side have frustrated two of the top sides in Europe in the space of 10 days.

They had already lost Rebecca Holloway on top of injuries to fellow key defenders Ashley Hutton and Abbie Magee, and on Tuesday four players - Chloe McCarron, Caragh Hamilton, Nadene Caldwell and Laura Rafferty - were suddenly unavailable.

At the end of the game Julie Nelson, carrying a knock from Wembley, and Rachel Furness, who hadn't played 90 minutes since breaking her leg in April, were on their knees.

The struggle for players was summarised by the substitute appearance of Glentoran captain Jess Foy, who was drafted in at the last minute as the list of absentees grew on Tuesday. A teacher in her day job, Foy is an excellent player in her own right but had not won a cap since Shiels took over in 2019 and had planned to watch the game on TV.

It was a team running on empty, yet they still ground out a result which keeps their dream alive.

"The performance was outstanding. We had half a team missing from the weekend and we had players sitting on the bench with injuries who couldn't come on," said Shiels.

"We were unbelievably weakened. By the time we got home from England it was Sunday lunchtime, and we are going out to play one of the top performers from the upper echelons of Europe, and we matched them and were in front.

"I couldn't believe the performance of the girls, everyone in the country should be so proud of them.

"Julie [Nelson] couldn't walk, never mind run. Furney [Furness] was the same but we couldn't take them off the pitch because we needed experience there.

"They were cutting right through us. We had gone, and we have to consider where we are from. We have overachieved.

"The dream is still alive. If we win the other games and go and beat them out there then there is a high chance we could get into the play-offs."

Jackie Burns made a number of vital saves at Seaview

While the focus on the pitch is firmly on World Cup qualification, off it Northern Ireland will get to embrace their historic status as Euro 2022 finalists on Thursday when the draw for the tournament next summer is made in Manchester.

It's a moment many will have dreamed about when 'Northern Ireland' is out of the famous Uefa balls and Wade believes it is a moment NI have earned the right to savour.

"We are looking forward to see who we are going to get," added Wade.

"Obviously, it's the first time but we are really excited and we want to kick on. Every team will be tough in the draw but it gives us confidence that we are going to be able to compete."

Realistically, with Northern Ireland ranked just inside the top 50, every one of the 15 teams will want Shiels' side in their group.

However, if they think they will have it easy the past 10 days have shown there is more than enough fight and ability to keep the big nations on their toes and, if they falter, it may allow NI's dream to keep on growing.