Heartbreak for Irish women as they fall short in Norway
Defeat was the Republic of Ireland's lot in the crucial FIFA 2019 Women's World Cup Qualifier in Stavanger as the Girls in Green were beaten 1-0.
Colin Bell's side fell behind in the 25th minute when Caroline Graham Hansen opened the scoring from the spot for the highly-rated Norwegians.
Ireland trail Norway 1-0 after Caroline Graham Hansen converts a penalty. Live updates: https://t.co/icVwdTHuoF #IRLWNT pic.twitter.com/Sjca7vYYzb
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 12, 2018
The defeat ended Ireland's chances if reaching France 2019. Bell's side started the campaign impressively, going unbeaten in their first four games. However, back to back losses at home against the top seeds Holland and Norway meant they were up against it before this return fixture at the SR-Bank Arena.
Ireland still have one game left in the group - they are home to Northern Ireland in August where bragging rights, if not qualification, will very much be at stake.
