Norway thrashed Northern Ireland  4-1 on Thursday in Group A at the women’s Euros in England. The tournament debutants were already 2-0 down when  match referee Lehtovaara awarded Norway a penalty, deciding after a VAR review that Nadene Caldwell was guilty of handling the ball at a corner kick. Caroline Graham Hansen converted the spot kick, and despite an improved second half, Kenny Shiel's side were well beaten in their first game of the tournament.

Northern Ireland head coach Shiels questioned the selection of Finnish match referee Lina Lehtovaara after their defeat.

"I'm just saying those statistics were there, and it made it really hard for her to referee. And UEFA are very precise and... they tell you what to do, and they are so exact. I think that was a boo-boo. But, most referees under the new ruling would probably have given it anyway."

Northern Ireland will look to bounce back on Monday when Austria visit St Mary’s, while Norway travel along the south coast for a tantalizing showdown with Sarina Wiegman’s Dutch Lionesses in Brighton.