Roche’s rocket fails to strike it lucky

Stephanie Roche said that she is "a little bit raw" and "disappointed" at not winning Fifa’s Puskas award at the Ballon D’Or ceremony in Zurich, but expressed thanks to "everybody from around the world" that voted, "particularly those back in Ireland".

The award — which is a public poll to decide the calendar year’s best goal — saw Roche earn 33% of the vote for her strike for Peamount United against Wexford Youths in the Women’s National League, only to be pipped by Colombia’s James Rodriguez, who claimed 42% of votes for his volley against Uruguay in the second round of the World Cup in the Maracana. At the same time, Roche left Robin Van Persie far behind, with the Dutch striker only claiming 11% for his header against Spain in Brazil.

Roche expressed pride at that, and the achievement in general, and said she wanted it to help the women’s game, but admitted that the campaign to push her goal had allowed her to believe she might win.