"That was for a good reason as the 38-year-old returned to play for her country six months on from giving birth to her second child. She came on to win her 107th cap and her first since February 2024, but didn't need any time to settle back in as she landed a crunching sliding tackle on Sveindis Jonsdottir soon after her introduction."
"McFadden completed pre-season with her WSL 2 club Durham and managed her first full 90 minutes in the league on 25 September. A defensive injury crisis facilitated a return to the international set-up and almost a month on from her first full game, she managed 32 minutes for her country against an Iceland side who featured at Euro 2025. In her own words, "it's incredible" and what she has worked diligently for since regaining full fitness."
""I've worked really hard and in the back of my mind it has always been for Northern Ireland," she told BBC Sport NI. "As soon as I stepped on the line in July [in pre-season] I was miles behind everyone. All I kept thinking was hopefully one day I'll put the green shirt on, and it's been really, really hard but I knew I would get here in the end."
Sarah McFadden returned to Northern Ireland's bench against Iceland six months after giving birth and earned her 107th cap, immediately making a crunching sliding tackle. Northern Ireland lost 2-0 and face an uphill second-leg to reach League A for the first time. McFadden completed pre-season with Durham, played her first full 90 on 25 September, and rejoined the international set-up amid a defensive injury crisis. She played 32 minutes against an Iceland side who featured at Euro 2025. McFadden described the return as "incredible", said she worked hard to regain fitness, and expressed gratitude to Tanya for selecting her.
Read at www.bbc.com
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