Northern Ireland manager Michael McArdle declared his team will have "one last swing" at securing a spot in their first World Cup as they face a daunting 4-0 deficit against Portugal in the second leg of their play-off.

The first leg, held at Inver Park on Friday night, saw Portugal dominate the match, leading McArdle to express that their hopes shifted from being "improbable to impossible." Despite this, he remains optimistic ahead of the return leg on Tuesday, which will be broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

McArdle emphasized the importance of a strong start, stating:

We're always positive, and from that perspective it's another opportunity for us to learn and put ourselves toe-to-toe with them. Who knows what the game throws up tomorrow night? If we end up in front first... it could turn back from impossible to improbable again.

In the first leg, Telma Encarnacao opened the scoring for Portugal, followed by Jessica Silva and an own goal from Rebecca Holloway within the first half-hour. Despite a spirited performance from Northern Ireland after Catarina Amado's red card, they failed to convert opportunities, allowing Fatima Pinto to add a fourth goal.

McArdle identified key areas for improvement, particularly how Portugal exploited gaps in defense, especially between the centre-backs and inexperienced full-backs Jane McMaster and Emily Cassap. He acknowledged the harshness of the scoreline but noted some positives from the match, emphasizing the need to capitalize on pressure in the second leg.