Arsenal dominate as England defeat Northern Ireland 2-0 in u17 Women’s Euro opener

Arsenal dominate as England defeat Northern Ireland 2-0 in u17 Women’s Euro opener

All six Arsenal players in the England squad featured, with De Bohan’s double winning the tournament opener against the hosts.

Arsenal’s Phoebe de Bohan scored twice as England opened their Under-17 European Championship campaign with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland at Inver Park.

The match was well supported, with a strong attendance of 810, and there was significant Arsenal involvement throughout.

All six Arsenal players in the England squad featured, with Cairo Antoine, Bryony Brodie, Kyri Teer-Hutchins, Isabella Cowley and de Bohan starting.

Mia Dixon, who had been involved with the Arsenal first team in their last two games, including the Champions League semi-final, came on at half-time.

It was a classic attack-versus-defence contest, with England enjoying most of the possession and Northern Ireland looking to threaten with direct balls on the break.

Both sides set up in a 4-3-3, although Northern Ireland were tactically flexible without the ball, with captain Chloe Beckinsale moving from defensive midfield into a third centre-back role depending on the passage of play.

The opener came from an Antoine cross from the right that was not cleared by the Northern Ireland defence, allowing de Bohan to pounce and score in the 29th minute.

The second goal, which sealed the win late in the second half, came in similar fashion. Northern Ireland goalkeeper Ifeoma Agoha saved the initial shot well, but de Bohan was perfectly placed to put the rebound into the net in the 82nd minute.

Overall, it was a game of two halves.

England were physically and technically stronger, but did not always translate their periods of control into goals. They were also unfortunate, hitting the post twice through Antoine and Brodie. In the first half, England used the wings effectively to get around the Northern Ireland block and created a number of chances.