Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels has apologised after claiming female football teams concede goals in quick succession because “women are more emotional than men”.

Shiels made the comments in a post-match interview after his side’s 5-0 thrashing by England on Tuesday in front of a 15,348 crowd at Windsor Park, as his side’s hopes of qualifying for the 2023 Women’s World Cup were ended.

Issuing an apology on Wednesday, he said he was “sorry for the offence that they have caused”.

He added: “Last night was a special occasion for the women’s game in Northern Ireland and I am proud to manage a group of players who are role models for so many girls, and boys, across the country.

“I am an advocate for the women’s game and passionate about developing opportunities for women and girls to flourish.”

England opened the scoring on Tuesday through Lauren Hemp in the 26th minute but Shiels’ side managed to keep the deficit to one goal at the interval, before conceding four goals in 27 second-half minutes.

Shiels said afterwards: “I thought they were struggling a wee bit at times to open us up until the psychology of going two up.

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“In the women’s game you’ll have noticed if you go through the patterns, when a team concedes a goal they concede a second one within a very short period of time.

“Right through the whole spectrum of the women’s game, because women and girls are more emotional so they take a goal going in not very well.

“So if you watch, if you go through the stats – which journalists love to do – go through stats and you’ll see teams conceding goals in 18 and 21 minutes, and then in 64 and 68 minutes. They group them because that is an emotional goal.

“We conceded in 48, with three in seven minutes or three in nine on Friday [in 3-1 defeat to Austria]. We were conscious of that when we went 1-0 down, we killed the game and tried to just slow it right to give them time to get that emotional imbalance out of their head. And that’s an issue that we have – not just Northern Ireland – but all the countries have that problem.

“I shouldn’t have told you that.”

His remarks were criticised on social media, with former Arsenal star Ian Wright posting images of himself in tears on the pitch.

He tweeted: “Kenny Shiels talking foolishness! Talking about emotional women ! Didn’t that man see how many times I was crying on the PITCH!”

Women in Football’s chief executive Yvonne Harrison said she felt like the clock had been turned back “30 years”.

She said: “I was disappointed, I was quite shocked. Hearing a man talking about women being too emotional in this day and age, I just felt like I’d gone back 30 years, to be perfectly honest with you.

“But I caveat that with his team had just been beaten 5-0 by a very strong Lionesses team and that’s not easy to take, and you’ve got all the media on you.”

She added: “But the fact that we talk about being too emotional, it’s something women have had to face for years and years right across society, not just sport, and the comments are very unhelpful and not particularly inspiring to young girls and boys who were watching that game and think that’s okay to talk like that.”

Northern Ireland conceded three goals in the space of nine minutes against Austria on Friday.

The side needed to avoid defeat against Group D leaders England to keep their slim hopes of progressing to Australia and New Zealand next year alive.

While they can still move level on points with second-placed Austria, Northern Ireland’s inferior head-to-head record has extinguished any chance of leapfrogging their rivals into the only play-off berth.

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