Áine O'Gorman: 'I just wanted the ground to open and gobble me up'

Áine O’Gorman hard at work at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Ireland will need to upset the odds against a dominant German side to have any chance of qualifying for the Uefa 2022 Women’s European Championship. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

It’s five weeks since that disastrous defeat in Ukraine. All eyes should be on the road ahead and the visit of Germany to Tallaght on Tuesday, but it is impossible to talk to Áine O’Gorman and not start off by looking back.

Vera Pauw’s side went to Kyiv knowing a draw would put them in the play-offs, and a win would likely propel them towards automatic qualification for Euro 2022 and a first ever shot at a major tournament. What followed was torturous.