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.
The second half was different. Northern Ireland moved to a back five to strengthen their defence, while England made three half-time changes, introducing players with different profiles in attacking areas. That led to fewer passing sequences, less continuity in attacking play, reduced off-the-ball movement and more predictability, which suited Northern Ireland’s game plan. The hosts also had a couple of chances on the break, including a one-on-one for Smyth, who rushed her shot and put it off target.
In the end, it was a deserved victory for England in their tournament opener, although there were plenty of positives for Northern Ireland too.
I spoke to Gail Edmondson, the Northern Ireland manager, afterwards and she was pleased with her team’s performance and resilience. She also confirmed the tactical use of her captain’s alternating position as a way to prevent some England attacks, as well as the move to a back five in the second half to stop some of the patterns that had been developing.
England will face Germany on Thursday, while Northern Ireland take on Norway.
The four tournament semi-finalists, as well as the play-off winner between the two third-placed teams, will qualify for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which takes place later this autumn in Morocco
