Since that victory in 2011, Norway has won the last six matches between the two teams by a comfortable margin; the most recent of which was a 4-1 victory at Euro 2022.
But this young team bears none of the scars of those games. Only 11 of the 23 players in the Euro 2022 squad are on Oxtoby’s panel for this play-off.
In fact, only seven of those 11 featured in the opening match against Norway, which was Northern Ireland’s first in a major tournament.
Friday’s first leg is undoubtedly the most important game of the careers of some of the team’s younger players, but you wouldn’t know it by watching the training before the game.
There was plenty of smiles and laughter as Northern Ireland warmed up in the freezing conditions of Larne, and Magill adds that the team is “very excited to get started”.
“The message is to control what we can control. That’s how we apply ourselves in the game.
“We’ve been the underdogs our whole lives, so it’s something we’re used to. We have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“As long as we come into this game and stay together as a group and try our best, we’ll have a very good chance of chasing it.”
While Northern Ireland struggled to put the game away against Croatia in normal time, where Lauren Wade stepped up to score a superb extra-time winner, Magill admits Friday’s hosts will have to find their relentless advantage against Norway.
Norway drew four of its Euro 2025 qualifying matches but beat Albania 14-0 on aggregate to reach the final play-off round.
