Oxtoby: NI 'still in the tie' despite first-leg loss
Oxtoby's side are aiming to play in League A of the Nations League for the first time
- Published
Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby says her side are "still in the tie" despite losing 2-0 to Iceland in the home leg of their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off.
It was a dominant display from Thorsteinn Halldorsson's side, who went ahead on 31 minutes when Glodis Viggosdottir nodded Karolina Vilhjalmsdottir's free-kick past Jackie Burns.
Despite Northern Ireland defending resolutely during open play, they continued to struggle with set-pieces in the second half with Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir heading home a corner in the 75th minute.
"We don't celebrate defeat, but the performance was exceptional," said Oxtoby.
"We have to celebrate that. I think the way in which the players executed the gameplan, we haven't conceded from open play.
"The first one [goal] is frustrating because I think it's really preventable from our point of view, but we'll learn from that.
"It's 2-0, we're still in the tie. There are improvements to be made, but, overall, I'm really proud of the group."
Northern Ireland 'stuck together'
Highlights: Northern Ireland 0-2 Iceland
Coming into the game, Oxtoby's side were without captain Simone Magill, Laura Rafferty, Ellie Mason and Brenna McPartlan through injury, with Rebecca Holloway suspended.
The home side, ranked 44th in the Fifa rankings, struggled to break into the final third but had multiple half chances with debutant Mia Moore firing wide and Emily Wilson also sending a shot just off target.
Oxtoby praised her side's resilience during the first leg and added she was "confident" for Tuesday's return fixture.
"When you play good teams, you're not going to have the ball as much and you're going to have to suffer," she added.
"Who are you going to be in those moments? I think we saw that, what the group is about. They stuck together. If one got beaten, the next one was in.
"We didn't necessarily want to be too expansive and push necessarily for a goal. We wanted to stay in our shape and look to counter."