Barrett sparks second-half comeback as Ireland overcome Zambia

A week out from naming her squad for the World Cup Vera Pau asked the squad to give her some selection teasers. The Irish players did it in parts and only after a false start.

LEADING WAY: Second half substitution Amber Barrett got two goals for Vera Pauw's side in their 3-2 win over Zambia. 

World Cup warm-up: Republic of Ireland 3 Zambia 2 

It was Amber Barrett whose playoff goal against Scotland booked the Republic of Ireland’s place at this summer’s World Cup. And two goals from the Donegal woman got their tournament preparations off on an ultimately upbeat note in South Dublin.

Vera Pauw is less than a week off naming her squad for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand and she asked her players to give her something to chew over from this first warm-up against an opposition also facing into their first appearance at the global event.

They did it in parts and only after a false start.

Ireland were poor in the first-half and better in the second but Zambia opened up huge gaps in the home defence and will feel hard done by with the loss. The result matters only in terms of mood music, of course. Performance dictates the rhythm.

If this wasn’t quite the real thing yet then it was still a game with real consequences for so many players with the pre-match chatter awash with talk of who will and won’t make the plane. The only agreement was that very few were already guaranteed a ticket.

Barrett won’t have any worries in that department and Pauw’s praise for the other goal scorer, Claire O’Riordan, would suggest the she too has done enough to secure passage.

Form, fitness, match sharpness, positional needs, style of play and nature of the opposition will all be thrown into the soup before Vera Pauw reveals her recipe for the tournament Down Under but some ingredients were out of reach here.

Captain Katie McCabe and Lily Agg were excused duties having arrived late into camp, while the NWSL trio of Denise O'Sullivan, Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva won’t report to camp until June 28. Hard to see those three not making the cut the next day.

Aoife Mannion remains injured, Megan Campbell is still progressing through return-to-play protocols while Tara O’Hanlon still has one last Leaving Cert exam – PE, funnily enough – to ‘sit’ before she can turn her attention to a rather more enjoyable test.

Lewes goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse and striker Kyra Carusa weren’t used, the official line being that this was to free up game time for others in a squad where a fair few are short of minutes in recent months.

Saoirse Noonan made her first start as the attacking focal point, Leanne Kiernan was looking to show something after a club season ruined by long-term injury and 18-year old Abbie Larkin was included on the right side of midfield.

The other choice of note was Izzy Atkinson at left wing-back. The West Ham player wasn’t included in the initial 31-strong squad but got her chance with the unavailable Campbell giving up her hotel room to her for the night.

Pauw had challenged the players not to deliver displays of individual brilliance but to show that they could slip into the existing system. It was easier said than done in a side devoid of talents like McCabe and O’Sullivan and with heavy training in the legs.

Kiernan looked rusty but had some good moments, Noonan didn’t have much chance to prove her worth as a target woman, while Atkinson was a willing and dangerous runner but all too often served with poor ball.

Larkin had the most profitable evening of the four. The Shamrock Rovers teenager is poised and capable on the ball and she was a threat in front of goal. She has a big future and her reappearance for 18 more impactful minutes after the break was instructive.

Zambia are 56 places below Ireland in the rankings but they threatened consistently, most often in the form of captain Barbra Banda who threatened consistently with her pace, strength and technique before the 17th minute opener.

It was her surge down the Irish left flank that led to Atkinson’s toe deflecting a cross goalwards, off the near post, back off Courtney Brosnan and just over the line for an own goal that was met with silence and some confusion.

Ireland’s improved effort on the restart came with the injection of five new faces, Barrett included, and an increase in tempo to their play. Among the newcomers was Erin McLaughlin who came on to be the 21st new cap of the Pauw era.

The reward was pretty immediate with Barrett converting a penalty after a handball from a Larkin shot, Claire O’Riordan scoring from an unmarked header 18 minutes later and Barrett finishing high to the net from a half-cleared corner with under 20 to go.

If that all sounds straightforward then it wasn’t. Banda was denied multiple times by a combination of Brosnan and her defenders until the highly-dangerous Evarine Susan Kundananji finally found a way through in the 79th minute.

Next up for the players are a few days off before they regroup for training in UCD. Pauw will spend that time and more again. 

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: C Brosnan; H Payne, N Fahey, Louise Quinn, C O’Riordan, I Atkinson; A Larkin, M Connolly, R Littlejohn, L Kiernan; S Noonan.

Subs: C Mustaki for Atkinson, A Barrett for Noonan, E McLaughlin for Kiernan, C Grant for Littlejohn and H Scott for Fahey (all HT); Lucy Quinn for Larkin (64).

ZAMBIA: H Nali; J Soko, M Lushomo, M Belemu, A Musesa; S Mapepa, S Banda, R Kundananji, ES Katongo; B Banda, G Chanda.

Subs: R Chileshe for S Banda, OO Lunbanji for Mapepa, and V Phiri for Lushomo (all 68).

Referee: C Lanssens (Belgium).