Northern Ireland’s Women’s Under-16s lost out to Chile in their final game at the CONMEBOL-UEFA U16 Girls Development Cup tournament in Paraguay.
Competition
CONMEBOL-UEFA U16 Girls Development Cup
Scoreline
Chile WU16s 4-1 Northern Ireland WU16s
Scorers
Northern Ireland: Ella Kitson
Venue
CONMEBOL complex, Luque
Date
6 June 2026
Team News
Northern Ireland’s Women’s Under-16 development squad competed in the CONMEBOL-UEFA U16 Girls Development Cup in Paraguay last week.
They were invited to take part by UEFA and took on Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Chile in the tournament run by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, with support from UEFA.
Their final game was against Chile and for the match head coach Danielle McDowell Tuffey made seven changes to the side that started the 3-0 defeat against Puerto Rico in game two.
In came goalkeeper Saskia McLaughlin, who started game one (4-4 draw against Paraguay), along with defenders Caitlin Shields, Anayah Lee and Autumn Edgar plus midfielder Daisy-Lee Anderson and attackers Abigail Curley and Ella Kitson.
Dropping to the bench were goalkeeper Ifeoma Agoha along with defenders Molly Gray, Jessica Leacock, Connie Harper and Rosa Brin, midfielder Grace Murray and attacker Ellie Tohill.
How it happened
The first opportunity of the match was created by Northern Ireland. Charley McMullan and captain Grace Guest combined well. Guest got a shot off but it was blocked.
Chile opened the scoring on 12 minutes when an attacker latched on to a ball over the top and finished well.
An Anayah Lee cross was blocked before Cara McVeigh played a lovely ball through to Ella Kitson, however her effort was blocked.
Chile scored from the spot in the 28th minute to make it 2-0 and just before the break they extended their lead further with a powerful finish into the corner of the net.
Northern Ireland attacker Kitson fired a shot over the bar, however she then found the net to make it 3-1. McVeigh and McMullan combined well before teeing Kitson up and she fired the ball home.
Half-time: Chile WU16s 3-1 Northern Ireland WU16s
After the restart Northern Ireland pushed forward. McMullan, Abigail Curley and substitute Grace Murray had some decent link-ups.
Murray beat two defenders and got a shot away, however the Chilean keeper made a good stop.
At the back Zion Donnan and Autumn Edgar worked tirelessly to thwart Chile, however the South Americans managed to find the net for a fourth time late on.
There was a penalty shootout for a bonus point – and Northern Ireland won it 5-4.
Afterwards McDowell Tuffey said: “It's been a great trip with lots of learning. The players dealt extremely well with the travel and the hot temperatures.
“Getting experience of playing against different cultures with different styles of play will stand them in good stead for their future football careers.
“They also took part in a cultural exchange with the other teams, which was fantastic to broaden their knowledge of other countries.”
Full-time: Chile WU16s 4-1 Northern Ireland WU16s
Line-ups
Chile WU16s: Maite Parraguez, Josefa Ayendes, Cathalina Guerrero, Renata Lantadilla, Matilda Alvarez, Florencia Villalobos, Thiare Calisto, Valentina Avila, Antonia Plaza, Josefa Cabello, Antonella Abarca.
Substitutes: Lia Perez (GK), Sofia Rios, Amelia Vidal, Martina Cabrera, Martina Mayorga, Elisa Orellana, Isidora Gatica, Ignacia Alarcon, Antonella Barria.
Northern Ireland WU16s: Saskia McLaughlin, Caitlin Shields, Anayah Lee, Zion Donnan, Autumn Edgar, Grace Guest (captain), Daisy-Lee Anderson, Abigail Curley, Charley McMullan, Ella Kitson, Cara McVeigh.
Substitutes: Ifeoma Agoha, Grace Murray, Niamh McDaid, Molly Gray, Jessica Leacock, Connie Harper, Rosa Brin, Ellie Tohill, Lauren Kirkpatrick.
