Ireland will channel past pain for mission in Ukraine

The Republic of Ireland women’s side has never qualified for a major tournament - this group of players can change that

Denise O'Sullivan, left, and Katie McCabe during a Republic of Ireland Women training session at Obolon Arena in Kiev, Ukraine. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Opportunities like this don’t come around often.

The Republic of Ireland women’s side has never qualified for a major tournament and it’s almost 30 months since their hopes of making the last World Cup were ended with two defeats to Norway over four cruel days.

Katie McCabe struggles to remember much about the night this time last year when Ireland saw off today’s opponents 3-2 in Tallaght but the disappointment of those World Cup qualifying defeats to the Scandinavians remain all too vivid. What does that tell us?

“Yeah, absolutely,” said the Irish captain.

“It was the Norway game at home that we really thought we could take something out of it and then the Norway game away was the breaking point for us. That was it for us, it was over. It does hurt.

“You see pictures and stuff pop up of your immediate reaction when the whistle blew at the end of the game. It does hurt. We have a lot of players still in the squad who will remember that pain and with the new girls coming in they will understand where we are coming from with that.”

The good news is that Ukraine are not Norway, the latter sitting 14 places higher in the Fifa rankings, and Vera Pauw’s side travelled from their pre-game base in Germany to the Ukrainian capital yesterday with a clean bill of health and nothing in the way of Covid issues to report. So far anyway.

And the visitors’ chances can have only been improved with the news during the week that Ukraine had returned at least two positive Covid-19 results, one by veteran keeper Kateryna Samson and the other to defender Kateryna Korsun.

Ireland sit one place outside the top three second-placed sides who will join the group winners at the delayed Euro 2021 competition in England a year later. A win here would obviously push their claim to automatic passage but a draw would be enough to confirm a playoff spot.

Pauw chose not to include Marie Hourihane in the squad even though the Braga goalkeeper has played in all but one group game so far. West Ham United’s Courtney Brosnan started the away win in Montenegro and seems a good bet to fill that vacancy here.

It’s a team awash with experience. Four of the squad — Aine O’Gorman (Peamount), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Harriett Scott (Birmingham), Diane Caldwell (SS Sand, Germany) — captain their clubs and this will be McCabe’s 23rd consecutive game for her country with the armband.

Facing them is a Ukrainian side that suffered back-to-back 8-0 defeats to Germany followed by that loss in Tallaght but wins against Montenegro and Greece last month now leave them seven points adrift of Ireland with a game in hand and the latter’s last game against Germany.

Ukraine are odds on to win their last two after this, so it all hinges on today, basically.

Pauw has been impressed with the Ukrainians since football’s restart, not least in the manner in which they continued to push forward against a Greek side they eventually beat 4-0. Curbing Daria Apanaschenko’s influence, wherever she plays, and keeping Olha Ovdiychuk quiet in front of goal will be key.

Ireland have suffered untimely lapses up to this. Ukraine drew level in the first game after being 2-0 down and had chances to grab a draw at the death, just as Greece did with a 93rd-minute score in Athens. Germany floored them with a quick one-two before the break to go 3-0 ahead.

Concentration should not be an issue here. McCabe and her colleagues know what the country is going through with Covid. They are keen to provide a small sense of joy and, while they’re at it, shine a light on what could be possible for future generations of Irish female footballers.

“For sure it will be spoken about if we win on Friday,” said McCabe. “I’ve got a little sister who is 12, turning 13, and all she wants to do is become a professional footballer.

For me, being at the forefront of Irish women’s football gives her that hope she can achieve her dreams someday.

“And that’s who we are doing it for. Not just for my little sister but for all the young girls looking up to us. For me, I was looking up at Emma Byrne, Yvonne Treacy, Ciara Grant playing in FA Cup finals for Arsenal at Wembley. For those girls to be looking up to us is obviously fantastic.”

Republic of Ireland (probable): C Brosnan; D Caldwell, L Quinn, N Fahey, A O’Gorman; R Littlejohn, M Connolly, D O’Sullivan; K McCabe, R Jarrett, L Kiernan.