Irish have no answer

Ireland 1 Russia 3

Expectation was high for Sue Ronan’s side following their narrow defeat to leaders Germany last month that they could get at least a draw against their closest rivals for a play-off spot. Instead, they now lag five points behind Russia at the midway point of the campaign.

Trouble for Ireland began from the fifth minute when they were caught on the counter-attack from their own corner.

Russia forced two corners in quick succession, the second of which, two minutes later, Elena Morozova found the unmarked Ekaterina Sochneva from eight yards out who headed past Emma Byrne.

It didn’t take long for the home defence to be exposed once again when the goalscorer Sochneva was afforded the time and space to surge down the left. Her cross along the six-yard box was tapped in by the sliding Ekaterina Pantyukhina.

Completely outplayed in midfield, Ronan introduced Stephanie Roche for her Peamount team-mate Dora Gorman midway through the half.

The switch contributed to them reducing the deficit as Roche teed up Áine O’Gorman to cross from the right on 35 minutes and Fiona O’Sullivan volleyed the loose ball home.

Russia failed to get rattled by that concession, however, and promptly regained their two-goal cushion eight minutes, albeit from more Irish generosity.

Sochneva’s left-wing cross seemed under control until Ireland defender Sophie Perry chose to head the ball straight to Pantyukhina on the edge of the box. The Russian striker capitalised by drilling a low shot beyond Byrne.

The increased tempo to their attack Ireland needed in the second half was a long time in coming and, apart from Roche’s 30-yard curler which struck the crossbar 15 minutes from time, they struggled to breach a Russian defence protected by two holding midfielders.

IRELAND: Byrne (Arsenal); De Burca (Galway WFC), Quinn (Eskilstuna United), Caldwell (Avaldsnes), Perry (Millwall); Smyth (Amazon Grimstad), Gorman (Peamount United); O’Gorman (Peamount United), D O’Sullivan (Glasgow City), Russell (Peamount United); F O’Sullivan (SC Frieburg).

Subs: Roche (Peamount United) for Gorman (23 mins), Killeen (Raheny United) for O’Gorman (70 mins), Littlejohn (Sandviken) for Russell (88 mins).

RUSSIA: Todua (Kochneva, 23 mins); Dmitrenko, Tsybutovich, Orlova, Medved; Sidorovskaya (Makarenko, 85 mins), Petrova; Terekhova, Morozova (Korovkima, 89 mins), Sochneva; Pantyukhina.

Referee: T Mitsi (Greece).