Ireland fall to fluent French

WORLD CUP semi-finalists France showed their class at Turner’s Cross last night as three second half goals saw them claim all three points against a gallant Irish side in their UEFA Euro 2013 Women’s Group 4 qualifier.

Sue Ronan’s Irish side, who started their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win in Wales last weekend, were always going to be up against it against a gifted French side and the home side did well to keep the visitors scoreless for over an hour before running out of steam.

Ireland played with a lone striker in Fiona O’Sullivan, which meant local girl Denise O’Sullivan missed out, as they tried to crowd midfield and stop the fluent French from controlling the game

Ireland were camped in their own half throughout the first half but Ronan’s side had the best chance of the half in the 27th minute when Niamh Fahey’s looping header drifted inches wide.

France introduced their top striker, Marie-Laure Delie, 12 minutes before the break and her introduction coincided with their best chance of the half, when Gaetane Thiney dribbled past three defenders in the box before Emma Byrne made a great save to deny the French striker.

The impressive Thiney went close early in the second half when her shot from outside the box was narrowly over.

But the visitors took the lead after 61 minutes and Thiney was heavily involved again. She jinked past two defenders before parting to Eugenie Le Sommer, who played in Louisa Necib, whose shot was deflected up and over Byrne. The game was over as a contest seven minutes later when Sonia Bompastor crossed and Delie showed her class to volley home.

Le Sommer tapped home a third five minutes later after Byrne made a great save to deny Thiney.

Aine O’Gorman got a consolation goal for the Irish in injury-time with a neat finish past Deville.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Byrne, De Burca, Quinn, Tracy, Campbell (Roche 84), O’Gorman, Grant, Curtin (Russell 75), Fahey, Smyth, F O’Sullivan (D O’Sullivan 70).

FRANCE: Deville, Lepailleur (Le Sommer 45), Georges, Meilleroux, Bompastor, Abily, Franco, Soubeyrand, Bussaglia (Delie 32), Necib (Thomis), Thiney.

Referee: S Ghisela (Switzerland).