We’re here to win title, insists Ireland defender Savannah

Having reached tonight’s UEFA U19 European Championship semi-final in Oslo, Irelanddefender Savannah McCarthy has no intention on settling for second best.

The Netherlands stand between Ireland and a place in Sunday’s final at the national Ullevaal Stadium, presenting the platform for the players to etch their name into thehistory books.

In a season Ireland’s male equivalents – at senior, U21 and U19 – didn’t come within a sniff of reaching the European finals, Dave Connell girls are the standard bearers across the continent for Irish football. Kerry native McCarthyepitomises everything about these Irish heroines, possessing courage, ambition and, most tellingly, talent, in spade. That she’s eligible for another two U19 campaigns doesn’t quell the centre-back’s desire to reach the top at the first attempt. Goals in each of the wins over England and Sweden only added to the contribution she made at the back towards Ireland topping Group B.