NI debut 'something I thought had passed' - Elmore

Northern Ireland's World Cup hopes may have all but ended after a 4-0 defeat to Portugal in Larne, but for Kess Elmore the match marked the start of a long-awaited international journey. Portugal produced a ruthless first-half display that gave them a comfortable lead at the break, and Elmore's half-time introduction made an immediate impact as Northern Ireland improved considerably after the interval.

Elmore was a surprise call-up for the play-off double header against world number 22-ranked Portugal. She had been involved in an NI training camp in 2021 and believed her chance to wear a green shirt had passed. "I wasn't expecting Michael to call me. It was in the back of my mind, but definitely something that I kind of thought had passed," Elmore said. She added that her experience across many teams, formations and tactics would help a young squad, bringing an attacking presence.

Her debut came on a difficult evening at Inver Park, where Northern Ireland struggled against a clinical Portugal side. Elmore gave her side a different dimension in the final third, bringing energy and movement. "I just wanted to come on and bring energy and work for the team," she said. "Portugal had a lot of momentum in the first half, so I kind of wanted to shift that in our favour."

Elmore normally plays on the wing or in midfield for Sparta Prague, but spent much of her time leading the line as a lone striker, a role she had not played for a very long time. Manager Mc Ardle believes the England youth international can add to the squad, which travels to Portimao on Tuesday (19:45 BST) for a tough task.

北爱尔兰的世界杯希望可能已经几乎落空，他们在拉恩以0-4输给葡萄牙，但对凯斯·埃尔莫尔来说，这场比赛标志着她期待已久的国际赛旅程正式开始。葡萄牙在上半场打出了冷酷无情的表现，让他们在中场休息时取得了舒适的领先优势。埃尔莫尔在半场休息时替补登场，很快产生了影响，北爱尔兰在易边之后的表现明显改善。

埃尔莫尔是在对阵世界排名第22位的葡萄牙的附加赛双回合中获得的意外征召。她曾在2021年参加过北爱尔兰的训练营，却以为自己穿上绿色球衣的机会已经过去。“我没想到迈克尔会召我入队。这个想法一直在我心里，但我确实觉得这已经过去了，”埃尔莫尔说。她补充道，自己在许多球队、不同阵型和战术中积累的经验将帮助这支年轻的球队，为其带来进攻威胁。

她的首秀发生在因弗公园一个艰难的夜晚，北爱尔兰在这里面对高效的葡萄牙队举步维艰。埃尔莫尔在最后三分之一区域为球队带来了不同的变化，展现了活力与跑动。“我只想上场带来活力，为球队拼搏，”她说，“葡萄牙上半场气势很盛，所以我想扭转局面，对我们有利。”

埃尔莫尔通常在斯巴达布拉格队担任边锋或中场，但在因弗公园大部分时间она都作为独狼前锋出战，这一位置她已经很久没有踢过了。主教练麦卡德认为，这位英格兰青年国手能够为阵容增添力量，而球队将于周二（英国夏令时19:45）前往波尔蒂芒，面临艰巨挑战。