Northern Ireland women on brink of Euro 2022

Northern Ireland women host Ukraine on Tuesday evening potentially just 90 minutes away from securing a place at a major tournament for the first time in their history.

They take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of their playoff game at Seaview in Belfast.

Defender Laura Rafferty says the players know they have a rare chance to make history:

"I can't put into words how big it is but it's everything. To represent our country on the biggest stage, being an underdog, going in on our home turf as well."

"It would be amazing to have fans, friends, family, everyone there but we know everyone's going to be at home backing our corner."

"We are doing it for everyone, whether it's girls that can't be there that played a part in the campaign, supported us from the side, and the next generation coming up."

"There are no words for it. It's what we've dreamed about for years.

"We want the next generation to see the rise in women's football in Northern Ireland, we want to put our country on the map and really stake our place in the finals.

"It's everything, and we know Tuesday is massive, but pressure makes diamonds so we are keen to get going. We leave everything on the training pitch, in the meeting rooms, we go out there and express who we really are."

For Manager Kenny Shiels, it's been about keeping his players grounded and focused on the task ahead against the higher-ranked Ukrainians:

"We've got a lead going into the second half but we've got to be careful and we've got to be mentally strong."

"We have a dangerous lead and we're ultra cautious of the expectations that might evolve from the result in the first leg. I don't want people to think it's home and hosed - there's a lot of work to do."