Cregan on the double for Ireland
Coach Gene Muller had consistently underplayed Ireland’s chances of doing anything spectacular and was only focused on trying to retain his sides A division status. This result gives the Irish a shot at matching their best-ever finish in the Europeans. Ireland will now face Azerbaijan or Italy for a shot at fifth place.
Two excellent goals from Eimear Cregan gave Ireland a comfortable lead after 23 minutes but the unpredictable Ukrainians managed to snatch one back before the break and Ireland tried to contain them until the finish.
Cregan’s first goal came after seven minutes when she fired an unstoppable shot from a very tight angle.
The second came with 12 minutes left in the half when Nikki Symmons got the ball in the circle, fed Cregan and her reverse chip was the epitome of subtlety, leaving the Ukrainian keeper helpless.
The Ukrainians, to their credit, knuckled down and started asking serious questions of Muller’s side.
They actually produced a very neat move to score from a short corner through Vynohradova and with the goal coming when it did, the Irish were unexpectedly under pressure with another 35 minutes of action facing them.
In baking conditions — a welcome relief from the gloomy Manchester weather — captain Linda Caulfield said it was very tough and very draining on the players.
“It was very hot out there, but we did well to contain them when their confidence was at its highest. More importantly, though, it was a big learning curve for many of our players who are playing in their first major tournament,” she said.
“Seven of the side had never experienced competition at this level before and they had to dig deep today. That experience will stand to them in the future.”
For his part, Muller was delighted that his young side showed resilience against tricky opponents and he had particular praise for his captain’s contribution.
“I am really delighted that we could win a game of real significance on Linda’s 150th cap and I am also delighted that we have at least retained our A status. The Ukrainians were very unpredictable and very skilful and quick.”
“We did have to hang on for much of the second half, but we showed real resilience and while we did change the shape of the team with 20 minutes left just to protect our lead, I’m thrilled with the level of character the players, particularly the younger ones, showed.”
The coach also had high praise for Cregan, describing the Limerick girl as a “game-breaker” and a player “any of the top teams would be delighted to have in their ranks.”
Ireland’s final game is tomorrow against the winners of Azerbaijan and Italy.
M Goode, J Orbinson, L Caulfield, C O’Brien, C Parkhill, B McKeever, E Clarke, N Symmons, J McDonough, C McKean, E Cregan. Rolling subs: L Healy, E Harte, R Flinn, S McCay, A Speers.
O Fisun, Y Moroz, O Gulenka, O Ivanhnenko, O Hryzodub, Z Savenko, M Khilko, N Vazyukova, M Vynohradova, Y Vorushylo, T Salenko. Rolling Subs: H Hlynenko, B Sadova, D Tahiyeva, I Vyhanyaylo.
