The scenes at the end of Northern Ireland's match against Ukraine were joyous yet bizarre. Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the Irish women had to play the decisive home game in front of empty stands. But their fans were determined to show their support - so they parked their cars outside the stadium and honked their horns in invisible encouragement.

Rated 27th in Europe, made up largely of amateursA person who does something, usually a sport, without being paid. and plagued by a series of long-term injuries, Northern Ireland were given little chance of qualifying for the Euro 22 finals. But a 2-1 away victory over Ukraine, followed by a 2-0 home win, confounded the naysayersA naysayer is someone who objects to something or says a project is likely to fail..  

"I will remember that night for the rest of my life," said forward Simone MagillMost of her appearances have been for Everton, but she recently joined Aston Villa.. "When the whistle went it was the realisation of 'What have we just achieved?' Ever since I was a kid, all I wanted to do was play for Northern Ireland. I wanted to qualify for a tournament one day and be part of that first group to do it."

Sarah McFaddenShe started her career in Iceland and now plays for Durham., who has played for the team since 2007, was equally emotional. "We have been through a lot. There were campaigns where we didn't even win a game or didn't even compete. That night with the play-off is something that we will never feel again."

It is not just Northern Ireland that has come a long way. The tournament, which kicked off yesterday evening when England took on Austria, is much bigger than the last one held in England, in 2005. Back then, just eight teams competed, at comparatively small stadiumsLarger ones were unavailable because the big clubs did not think there was enough interest in women's football.. Only 957 people turned out to see France play Italy at DeepdalePreston North End's home ground..  

Even since the last Euros, in 2017, there have been huge strides. Twice as many tickets - 500,000 - have been sold to fans from 99 countries. All 31 matches are being shown live on the BBC, with a global audience of over 250 million expected.   

Only four countries have ever won the tournament: GermanyOne of Europe's largest countries, with a popultion of nearly 86 million. , Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. This year France and Spain are in contention too - but England are the favourites. The stars taking part include England's Lauren Hemp, the Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema and France's Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

England and Northern Ireland meet on Friday week in Southampton. Their last match ended 5-0 in England's favour, but is remembered chiefly for controversial comments by the Irish coach, Kenny Shiels.

"I'm sure you will have noticed if you go through the patterns - when a team concedes a goal, they concede a second one in a very, very short space of time," he said.

"[It happens] right through the whole spectrum of the women's game, because girls and women are more emotional than men. So, they take a goal going in not very well."

His remarks were widely criticised. "I just felt like I'd gone back 30 years, to be perfectly honest with you," said Yvonne Harrison, the head of Women in FootballA professional network which aims to create equal opportunities for women in the sport.. "It's something women have had to face for years and years right across society, not just sport."

Ian WrightA former Arsenal and England player who is now a TV pundit. tweeted a photo of himself in tears during his playing days. "Didn't that man see how many times I was crying on the pitch?" he demanded.

Yes: You only have to look at the way Northern Ireland collapsed against England, conceding four second-half goals in front of a record home crowd, to see that Kenny Shiels was right.  

No: Watch almost any crucial men's match and you will see players in tears. The sight of Paul Gascoigne crying after getting a yellow card became one of the defining images of the 1990 World Cup.  

Or... Sport would be pointless without emotion - it is the highs and lows that players and spectators live for. Athletes who are cool and controlled, like Roger Federer, are in a minority.