Unexpected late-night ferry has made Norway 'stronger'

It wasn't quite planes, trains and automobiles for Norway to reach Northern Ireland, but it wasn't far off.

The team had planned to fly from Leeds, where they had been based, to Belfast but heavy fog on Wednesday night meant their flight was cancelled.

After some quick thinking, Gemma Grainger and her star-studded squad were on the ferry from Liverpool, and they reached their team base just outside Larne in the early hours of the morning.

"It was some unexpected team bonding, for sure," Grainger told BBC Sport NI ahead of Friday's first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off at Inver Park.

"Sleeping on a ferry was a bit of a surprise for us, but we're here now. Bunk beds and sharing with staff wasn't on the agenda but everyone really made the most of it."

"It was a late night, but good for the team and we had a lot of laughs."

Norway captain Maren Mjelde went as far as saying the unexpected travel plans "were like a holiday".

"We had to get here. Of course we would prefer to fly but I found it easy," said the 35-year-old former Chelsea defender, who has won more than 170 caps.

"I travel on these boats every summer so it was a holiday feeling. We had good fun and we had to make the best out of it.

"We've a good team and it's been a positive atmosphere no matter what happens. I think it makes us stronger, to be honest."

Norway are heavy favourites to qualify for the Euros in Switzerland next summer.

They hammered Albania 14-0 on aggregate in their first play-off round, while Northern Ireland needed extra-time to defeat Croatia 2-1.

Northern Ireland's players have been happy to take on the underdog tag against Norway, who have won their last three meetings with a total score of 16-1.

Grainger has some of the best players in the world at her disposal, including Barcelona's Caroline Graham Hansen, former Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg and WSL stars Guro Reiten and Frida Maanum.

"We're the higher ranked team and you can't deny that we are the favourites and they are the underdogs," added Grianger, who left Wales' top post for Norway in January.

"I've a huge amount of respect for Northern Ireland. Their achievement of qualifying for the last European Championships was fantastic to see."

Grainger believes that NI manager Tanya Oxtoby, who took over as manager in 2023, is doing a "great job" and feels the underdogs, who faced Norway in their first ever match in a major tournament in Euro 2022, will be tough opposition.

"I've watched a lot of their games and I think it's going to be competitive.

"I know what it's like playing against the home nations. It will be a tough challenge.

"I know their spirit and I know their fight and I'm really looking forward to it."

Mjelde will be reunited with Oxtoby, who was Emma Hayes' assistant at Chelsea before taking on the manager's role with Northern Ireland.

"It will be nice to see Tanya again. It's been a while. She is a great coach and a great human being.

"We're going to be friends before and after the game, but when the game is on the game is on."

Middlesborough-born Grainger, who said it was the "right time" to move from Wales to Norway, who last failed to qualify for a European Championships in 1984.

"It's been a great challenge here. My time with Wales was really special, This role came up and, for me, it was the right one.

"These are the games I want to be involved in. It's a special nation with a very rich history.

"We respected Albania, but we wanted to make sure we were ruthless and we wanted to take those opportunities.

"This team have some of the best forwards in the world so it's my job to get the best out of them.

She added it would be "very special" if she could help Norway qualify, and also hopes her former side Wales can get past the Republic of Ireland in their play-off.

"Since coming to this team and seeing the potential, the team are ambitious.

"It would be an incredibly proud moment and the proudest moment of my career.

"That would be ideal [if Wales could qualify too]. If Norway could qualify and Wales could qualify, then that would be perfect."

Watch Northern Ireland v Norway (Friday, 19:00 GMT) live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.