Natalie Johnson: ‘Baptism of fire’ first start worth the wait for NI defender
Johnson played the full 90 minutes at Inver Park, with favorites Norway having a strong first half, scoring three goals.
However, Tanya Oxtobe’s side improved in the second half, limiting Norway to just one goal, which came from a scramble following a set-piece.
“It’s so exciting. These are the types of players you want to test yourself against. You watch them on TV and think ‘Wow, what a player’.
“It was unbelievable to test myself in Northern Ireland.”
When asked about the comparison to playing against Norway’s star-studded side in real life, rather than watching on a screen, she admitted it was “just as fast”.
“Just as fast. It was fast and it took us a little while to get into it, but once we got into it, I thought we spoke for ourselves pretty well.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute with this team and this staff. I’m enjoying it so much I can’t stop now and I’m just happy to be here.”
While Northern Ireland know qualifying for next summer’s European Championships is unlikely, Johnson hopes the young side will learn lessons from facing a strong side in Norway.
“This was an opportunity for us to learn and implement quickly. We believe in Tanya’s process.
“I think if we can show on Tuesday that we learned something, then I think we’ll win.”
