Euro 2025: ‘NI don’t feel added pressure to secure play-off place’

In the manager’s eyes, the narrow 2-1 defeat to Portugal at Mourneview Park is as close as Northern Ireland have come to the type of performance she wants her side to deliver on a consistent basis.

And Oxtoby is hopeful that it will inspire them to produce a similar display in a game that they are favourites.

“As a group I think it clicked not just without the ball but with it and a lot of things came to fruition,” she explained.

“We want to continue that momentum and start again on the front foot, and we know what we have to do in terms of results in this window.”

Oxtoby added: “This group is now starting to believe they can win every game, so we’ve spoken making sure that we continue moving in the right direction.”

The NI boss also pointed to the Bosnia & Herzegovina game in Zenica as a blueprint for her side to follow if things aren’t going their way early on in Malta.

Northern Ireland won 3-1 with all the goals coming in the second half after a frustrating first period.

“The Bosnia performance is a good guide of not getting frustrated and not moving away from what you’re trying to execute.

“We proved in that game when we got the breakthrough even though they came back into it we were able to accelerate away, and we back ourselves in those positions.”