Kohler leads by example

RACHEL KOHLER has given her all for Ireland on the 160-odd occasions she has represented her country, but it is doubtful if the Irish captain ever gave more than she did on Saturday when Ireland drew 1-1 with the Ukraine to secure a third place finish in their pool and qualify for the crossover series of these championships.

Kohler reckoned the massive effort was worth it for the prize involved will see Ireland almost certainly play France in the 5th-8th place matches next Thursday, which will secure Ireland’s ‘A’ ranking and qualification for the next Europeans and give them a shot at fifth place overall.

Kohler was delighted not only with the outcome, but the manner in which it was achieved: “It was a very tough game because we knew the Ukrainians had some very skilful individuals,” she said, “but it took us a while to adapt because it was a very different style of game than we are used to.

“It was very physically demanding because they are a counter-attacking side and if you don’t close them down early you just end up running around after them.

“But I think we adapted well and had a much better second half . We played more to our own style in the second period and I think we controlled the match.”

“She did not feel, however, that the Irish were unduly edgy, particularly after going one behind to Maryna Litvinchuk’s short corner score in the 20th minute.

“We knew we had a great opportunity in this game and we wanted to grasp it while we could instead of having to try and get something out of our final pool game against England. I wouldn’t say we were edgy. More determined, really. There was a huge prize there for us against the Ukraine and that’s what we wanted thanks to Lynsey McVicker’s goal.

“Our first objective coming out here was a fifth to eighth place finish but now either a fifth or sixth place finish is our main aim.”

Ireland play England today, mindful of the fact their opponents demolished Germany 5-1 on Saturday, but despite the fact it is now a relatively meaningless match in terms of overall finishing positions, Kohler says the traditional needle between the Irish and English will result in an entertaining game.

Looking forward to the crossovers, Kuper reckoned it is most likely Ireland will be playing France on Thursday. If they then beat France, they will most likely play Scotland or the Ukraine for fifth place overall next Friday.

In the meantime, the picture for the Irish men is not so rosy and they need a victory today against Belgium to secure not only a longer-term interest in this competition, but also to preserve their ‘A’ status among Europe’s elite.

Their unexpected 4-1 mauling, ironically, at the hands of France on Saturday was a serious blow to coach John Clarke and his players and they now know they have to fight for their lives today.

“The players have put in an enormous amount of work and Ireland have never been known for giving up, so the players don’t intend giving up now and as a management team we don’t intend giving up either.

“It is now a question of us acquitting ourselves along the lines I believe our ability deserves. We’ve had a disappointment where we have almost totally dominated a game and yet getting what, on paper, appears to be a bad beating,” Clarke said.

“The question now has to be asked could Belgium beat us 4-1, and the answer to that is ‘no’ , he added. “The fact we are capable of beating Belgium does not undo the result against France, because we were always going to have to beat the Belgians really. ”

If Ireland’s men fail to do so this morning, they will finish fifth in their pool and play out the 9th-11th crossover games and lose their ‘A’ status and automatic qualification for the next European Championships. It is not something they wanted to contemplate yesterday, keeping their focus completely on beating Belgium and securing a 5th-8th place finish.

In reality, anything else will be a tremendous disappointment.