Northern Ireland were narrowly pipped by Switzerland to second spot in their UEFA Women’s U-17 Championship qualifying group and must wait to see if they progress to the Elite Round.
Alison Nicholl’s squad registered a win, a draw and a defeat over the past week in a mini qualifying tournament in Greece, reports irishfa.com.
The Irish are currently among the top four third-placed teams but they will not know their fate until all groups are completed on 28th October
They ended with an emphatic 5-0 victory against Kazakhstan but the Swiss, who also secured four points overall, finished second in the group thanks to a better goal difference.
Cliftonville defender Toni-Leigh Finnegan hit a hat-trick against Kazakhstan, including two penalties, the first of which came in the 44th minute.
More goals quickly followed as Lisburn Rangers midfielder Sophie Megaw doubled the lead and Finnegan added her second.
Finnegan later lashed in another spot-kick, with the final goal scored deep into injury time by Breckyn Monteith, who plays for Charlotte Soccer Academy in the US.
