Norway v Northern Ireland: ‘We need to be brave and aggressive’ – Rafferty
The Rangers defender will hope Northern Ireland can continue their positive second-half performance against Norway in Larne, which saw them limit Gemma Granger’s side to just one goal in the final 45 games.
She pointed to Northern Ireland’s narrow 2-1 home defeat to Portugal, just days after beating Portugal 4-0, as proof they can learn quickly from their mistakes.
“It’s a quick turnaround so we need to learn and adapt quickly, like we did against Portugal before,” Rafferty added.
“It’s a test, but it’s something we’re looking forward to. A lot of Friday’s game was avoidable, but hopefully with the adjustments we made, we can be more proactive in the way we play.”
Rafferty knows Northern Ireland will need maximum concentration to avoid a similar start to the game at Larne, when they trailed 3-0 after 26 minutes.
“When you play against a world-class team, it just takes a little bit of concentration, so for us it’s about supporting each other every game,” she continued.
“It’s unbelievable to play against these Norwegian players, we’ve earned the right to come here and really challenge ourselves, belief and mentality is everything.”
