26.04.05 Switzerland 4 - 2 Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland started the game in a positive manner and within four minutes they had silenced the host nation with a wonderful goal by Louise Irvine. Winning the ball in midfield, Louise powered up the left wing to the bye line, where she cut in and struck the most ferocious shot into the top right hand corner. A jubilant Northern Ireland bench were ecstatic at Louis's first international goal.

Despite conceding this early goal, Switzerland began to settle on the ball, with number eight Isabelle Kaufman sending several penetrating passes through the heart of the Northern Ireland defence. Martina Moser, the Swiss captain, became increasingly influential on the right wing and in the eleventh minute was brought down in the penalty box. Number four Vanessa Burk coolly slotted home the resulting penalty.

The equalising goal seemed to unsettle our girls and within two minutes Northern Ireland found themselves behind in the game after an excellent Swiss passage of play set the ball nicely for Laura Locher to slot into the net. Martine Power replaced Northern Ireland's goalscorer in the twenty-forth minute, making an immediate impact with her tireless running. Six minutes later, Power was rewarded for her hard work when she ran onto a back pass, beating the pursuing defender, before calmly lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper's head.

Despite several Swiss chances, the first half remained at 2 - 2.

The second half continued in much the same way as the end of the first, with Northern Ireland finding themselves under constant pressure, particularly on the wings. Moser remained a threat throughout and in the fifty-second minute found herself unmarked inside the penalty box to easily head home a cross from the right wing. In the fifty-ninth minute the victory was sealed when Meyer got her second of the game.

Commenting after the game, Head Coach Ian Stewart was disappointed with the overall result. "Although Switzerland are the favourites, I was disappointed that we did not perform to our full potential. There is plenty of room for improvement and I know our girls have the ability to play better in the next games. On a more positive note, we scored two amazing goals".