Megan Campbell's class shines out
Colin Bell’s Ireland needed to be patient in their pursuit of victory in their manager’s first game at the helm. They forged ahead through a Rachel Furness own-goal in stoppage time at the end of the first half.
Manchester City defender Campbell has forced the mistake from one of her trademark throw-ins — and her prowess with the boot was also evident with a stunning second second after 69 minutes.
Victory sets Ireland up nicely for their next assignment on October 24 away to a Slovakian side hammered 6-1 by Norway in yesterday’s other Group Three game.
Seeded 27 places above their opponents in the Fifa rankings, Ireland naturally took the initiative from the outset, with nice interplay between Denise O’Sullivan and new captain Katie McCabe affording them plenty of possession.
Generating clear-cut chances from play wasn’t so seamless, however, and it was through the set-piece expertise of left-back Campbell that they managed to make some headway.
Her powerful throw-in first came to the public’s attention back in 2014 when both of Ireland’s goals against European champions were sourced through them.
Manchester City’s fans, too, have witnessed the catapults, most prominently in their FA Cup final win five months ago.
Her absence from the squad in the last campaign was sorely missed, as she only appeared in two their eight qualifiers.
The Drogheda woman illustrated her importance to the cause with a telling contribution.
The visitors completely dominated the first-half proceedings.
A couple of Campbell’s left-wing deliveries early on didn’t get the desired connection from one of her teammates, but, from a short corner well worked with McCabe on 19 minutes, Diane Caldwell got there first only to head over from six yards.
A Northern Ireland defence which conceded 22 goals in their last campaign was beginning to look shaky. They needed Julie Nelson’s last-ditch block to prevent Stephanie Roche slotting home from close-range on the half hour.
Three minutes later, they were unable to stop the Sunderland striker rising high to meet Campbell’s throw-in, but they were saved by the effort rebounding off the crossbar.
Ireland were getting closer and closer and six minutes before the break, Caldwell somehow nodded the ball out from under the crossbar after teenage goalkeeper Lauren Perry fumbled Louise Quinn’s header into her path.
For all of Ireland’s pressure, they were almost caught out from the North’s first corner on 41 minutes. Kendra McMullan wriggled free to direct a rising header which Marie Hourihan, on her competitive debut, tipped over.
It would prove a brief reprieve for the home side as the inevitable breakthrough arrived down the other end. Campbell’s throw-ins were becoming more of a menace and from a particularly wicked version into the six-yard box, Furness glanced a header into her own goal.
L Perry (Linfield); R Newborough (Doncaster Rovers Belles), J Nelson (Crusaders Strikers), A Hutton (Linfield Ladies), J Foy (Glentoran Belfast Utd); K Montgomery (Celtic), K McMullan (Sion Swifts); C Milligan (Fylkir, Iceland), R Furness (Reading), M Callaghan (Cliftonville); S Magill (Everton).
L Brennan (Grindavik, Iceland) for C Milligan (68 mins), C McCarron (Linfield) for Montgomery (81 mins)
M Hourihan (Manchester City); H Scott (Reading), L Quinn (Arsenal), D Caldwell (SC Sand), M Campbell (Manchester City); N Fahey (Bordeaux), K Duggan (UCD Waves); K McCabe (Glasgow City), D O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), A O’Gorman (UCD Waves); S Roche (Sunderland)
L Kiernan (Shelbourne) for O’Gorman (21mins, inj), T Toland (Maiden City) for Campbell (81 mins), A Barrett (Peamount Utd) for Roche (90 mins, inj).
Vesna Budimir (CRO)
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