Northern Ireland 0-1 Türkiye: “What happens next will happen” – Lindsay is ashamed of Northern Ireland’s future

An error by returning goalkeeper Lauren Perry allowed Ace Turkoglu to score the only goal of the game for Turkey at Morneview Park in the first half.

As happened against Switzerland on Tuesday, when they lost 2-0, the Turkish national team limited Türkiye to a few chances, but failed to exploit Selda Akguz.

While Lindsay said the loss was “disappointing”, he is confident that “whoever” is in charge of the double against Malta in April “have the foundation of a really good team there”.

He added: “It is clear that they scored from a mistake on our part, and that is what happened. It is okay and I think that killed the momentum a little and we lost some enthusiasm and there was nothing real in the first half.”

“But in the second half, I thought we performed more than Northern Ireland in terms of enthusiasm and intent, and we pinned them down for long periods of the second half.

“We lacked a bit of composure or that last pass to create a chance and shoot the ball, but I told the girls there they were disappointed. No one likes to lose football matches but learn from them, because Turkey were strong, physical, aggressive and fast and sometimes they caused us problems, but when we moved the ball we caused them problems but we did not do it enough.”

The second defeat in a row left Northern Ireland in third place in the group and putting pressure on them to win their double match against bottom club Malta next month to stay on course for a play-off.

The NI side are currently on a five-game winless run, with their last win coming in April last year, and Lindsay believes the recent overhaul in players and staff means World Cup qualification this campaign will come too soon for a young outfit.

“I think that of course, we want to get results, no one likes losing football matches, but for me, we have to develop these young players and expose them to international football.

“I thought Mia Moore was really good, really positive, and there are talented young players to build on, that’s what they need, experience, and sometimes you’ll suffer defeats.

“Yes, we have a mix of experienced players there as well, but we are trying to strike that right balance between showcasing the younger, talented players and putting on performances.”