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Jan 8, 2025 | 
lllonline.substack.com | Lauren McCann
The second Supercopa de España semi-final is upon us as holders Real Madrid face Mallorca at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this evening. Last year’s LaLiga and Supercopa winners will take on the Copa del Rey runners-up as both sides aim to book their place in Sunday’s final against Barcelona after they over came Athletic Club, and lift the first trophy of the domestic season.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
bbc.com | Lauren McCann
Image source, Press EyeImage caption, Northern Ireland failed to qualify for back-to-back European Championships after a 7-0 aggregate play-off final defeat against Norway"We need something to bridge the gap between under-19s and senior football." Those were the words of Northern Ireland women's record cap holder Julie Nelson after Tanya Oxtoby's side fell short in their bid to reach next year's Euros in Switzerland.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
bbc.com | Lauren McCann
It's almost a year to the day since Northern Ireland were beaten 6-1 at Windsor Park by the Republic of Ireland to end their inaugural Nations League campaign. At that stage there were more questions than answers about what direction Northern Ireland were heading under Tanya Oxtoby, who had taken over in August 2023. They had shown signs in that Nations League campaign of promise, albeit in fits and starts for the majority rather than stringing together a 90-minute performance.
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Dec 3, 2024 | 
bbc.com | Lauren McCann
Northern Ireland had to suffer a Norway onslaught in the first half and through a number of superb blocks and good saves from Jackie Burns, they came in at half-time only a goal behind after some great feet from Graham Hansen. "Tonight showed our togetherness, they were a great side, they're some of the best players in the world and we put our bodies on the line," McKenna continued.
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Dec 3, 2024 | 
sports.yahoo.com | Lauren McCann
Caroline Graham Hansen scored her 50th goal for Norway as they beat Northern Ireland 3-0 in the second leg of their Euro 2025 play-off final to complete a comprehensive 7-0 aggregate victory at Ullevaal Stadion. Norway's place at next summer's tournament in Switzerland was all but secured after a dominant 4-0 first leg win in Larne.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
bbc.com | Lauren McCann
The Rangers defender hopes that Northern Ireland can build on a positive second half display against Norway in Larne, where they restricted Gemma Grainger's side to just one goal in the second 45. She points to Northern Ireland's narrow 2-1 home loss against Portugal just days after a 4-0 defeat by the same side as evidence that they can learn quickly from mistakes. "It's a quick turnaround so we need to learn and adapt quickly which we have done before against Portugal," Rafferty added.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
bbc.com | Lauren McCann
Norway forward Ada Hegerberg is relishing the chance to close out what has been a positive year on a high in the second leg which is being played at the 28,000 capacity Ullevaal Stadium. "It's nice to be back home again, we're not here very often, so to play with the crowd is a very nice feeling," she said. "We have an opportunity to seal our ticket to the Euros so we will take that very seriously. We don't want to stop after the first game.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
lllonline.substack.com | Lauren McCann
Another women’s international break is upon us and whilst many sides are still competing in the play-offs to reach Euro 2025, Spain play another two friendlies to round off the year. The reigning World Cup and Nations League champions welcome South Korea to Cartagena on Friday before travelling to Nice to take on France in their final game of 2024. La Liga Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Nov 20, 2024 | 
lllonline.substack.com | Lauren McCann
The draw for the second Women’s Nations League campaign took place last week with holders Spain drawn in Group A3. They will face England, Belgium and Portugal between February and June next year and those games will act as good preparation for next summer’s Euros given they will be Spain’s first competitive fixtures since the Olympics. If Spain win their group, as they did last year they will qualify for the knockout rounds giving them a chance to defend the title they won in 2023.
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Nov 20, 2024 | 
bbc.com | Lauren McCann
Image source, InphoImage caption, Lynch signed a three-year deal to take over as Derry City boss on MondayTiernan Lynch is the man tasked with leading the latest Derry City rebuild after a disappointing end to Ruaidhri Higgins' tenure. The 44-year-old has signed a three-year deal to take over at the Candystripes on Monday after a successful seven years at Larne, where he won back-to-back Irish Premiership titles.
