Nations League: Late show from Magill seals comeback victory

A late double from Simone Magill saw Northern Ireland claim a vital three points in the Nations League at Inver Park.

Tanya Oxtoby's side looked destined for their second successive defeat to open their group, following Friday's loss in Poland. But Birmingham City striker Magill had other ideas, getting on the end of two through balls from Ellie Mason to change the complexion of the tie.

Ironically, her goals came after the visitors had scored two quickfire goals of their own early in the second half to take a 2-1 lead after Northern Ireland had been the dominant force in the first 45 minutes.

Oxtoby made three changes to her starting line-up, with Mason, Danielle Maxwell and Kascie Weir - the latter making her first start - replacing Laura Rafferty, Chloe McCarron and Keri Halliday.

The hosts took the lead on the quarter hour mark, slightly against the run of play if anything. While Bosnia and Herzegovina had made plenty of early running without truly threatening Jackie Burns’ goal, Northern Ireland went in front from a clinically executed set-piece.

Lauren Wade curled in a corner from the right-hand side and Brenna McPartlan found herself with the freedom of Inver Park six yards out to nod past the helpless Almina Hodzic in the visiting goal.

The away side almost levelled instantly though as Minela Gacanica got on the end of Selam Kapetanovic’s cross at the other end – and with Burns all at sea, having come away out of her goal, the striker could only head well wide of the left-hand post.

After Danielle Maxwell was unable to divert Ellie Mason’s cross in at the back post, it was almost a dream moment for Kascie Weir on her full debut.

She latched onto Simone Magill's ball through after a mistake in the visitors' defence, but her stinging shot was excellently saved by Hodzic.

Just four minutes later, Weir was in the thick of the action once again. The Glentoran striker connected with a Lauren Wade cutback from the left, only to steer her effort just wide as Northern Ireland began to dominate.

Weir went close once again seven minutes before the break as she linked up with Wade to tee up a low shot from 15 that saw Hodzic get down low to her right to push it out.

Despite Northern Ireland’s first half superiority, they were rocked by those two early goals from the visitors at the start of the second period as Northern Ireland made two changes, with Emily Wilson and Megan Bell coming on for Danielle Maxwell and the injured Joely Andrews.

The leveller came less than 60 seconds into the half as Emina Ekic was allowed to run all of 50 yards before slotting home from inside the box.

They then went in front just a couple of minutes later as Marija Milinkovic latched onto a loose clearance just outside the box and rifled her shot in off the post, giving Burns no chance.

Second half sub Wilson almost crafted the equaliser just after the hour and her turn and pass across the box was missed by Simone Magill, but Ellie Mason came racing in from the left to get a shot in. However, Hodzic was equal to the effort and palmed it out for a corner.

Despite pushing forward in the final stages of the match in search of an equaliser. Northern Ireland failed to truly threaten the Bosnia and Herzegovina goal, with the away side content to sit back and soak up the pressure.

However, their pressure did pay off a minute from the end of normal time as Magill stole in to glance a header from Ellie Mason's diagonal ball past Hodzic.

But there was more to come as the captain rolled home the winner from another Mason through ball a minute into stoppage time to seal a win that looked unlikely just a few moments earlier.

MATCH STATS

Northern Ireland: Burns, McKenna (Hamilton 88), Holloway, Mason, Dugdale, McPartlan, Andrews (Bell H-T), Maxwell (Wilson H-T), Magill (C), Weir (McDaniel 70), Wade

Subs not used: Norney (GK), Harvey-Clifford (GK), Rafferty, McCarron, Schofield, Halliday, Caldwell, Johnson

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Hodzic, Sliskovic, Kapetanovic, Hasanbegovic (C), Veletanlic, Spasojevic, Milinkovic, Velagic, Krajsumovic, Gacanica (Cule 73), Ekic (Taslidza 81)

Subs not used: Delic (GK), Radulovic, Hrelja, Krajnic, Milovic, Medic, Husic, Hadzic

Referee: Caroline Lanssens (Belgium)