Northern Ireland Women manager Kenny Shiels has conceded defeat in the quest to make it to next year’s World Cup ahead of taking on free-scoring England.
The Green and White Army retain a miniscule chance of overhauling the Lionesses at the top of Group D but are just three points behind second-placed Austria in the battle for a play-off spot with three games to go.
However, with minnows Luxembourg, Latvia and North Macedonia providing little competition for the top three, Shiels has thrown in the towel regarding making it to the finals in Australia and New Zealand following Friday’s 3-1 loss away to the Austrians.
