Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels
(Picture: PA)Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels has provoked significant controversy after claiming that “girls and women are more emotional than men” after his side’s heavy defeat by England on Tuesday night.
A record crowd of 15,348 packed out Windsor Park for the 2023 World Cup qualifier in Belfast, which the prolific Lionesses - who thrashed North Macedonia by 10 goals on Friday - only led 1-0 at half-time courtesy of Lauren Hemp’s close-range finish.
However, England stepped up the tempo after the interval, with Hemp on the scoresheet again and Georgia Stanway also bagging a brace to go along with Ella Toone’s effort as Sarina Wiegman’s side wrapped up another dominant victory on the road to Australia and New Zealand.
Defeat also ended Northern Ireland’s chances of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup and head coach Shiels has been strongly criticised for claiming that goals often arrive so close together in women’s football due to the players being “more emotional” than their male counterparts.
"I thought they were struggling a wee bit at times to open us up until the psychology of going two up,” he said.
"In the women's game you'll have noticed if you go through the patterns, when a team concedes a goal they concede a second one within a very short period of time.
"Right through the whole spectrum of the women's game, because girls and women are more emotional than men, so they take a goal going in not very well."
