Gleeson's Republic of Ireland hit the North for six to round off Nations League campaign in style
JOY OF SIX: Ireland’s Katie McCabe celebrates scoring her side's fourth goal with Denise O'Sullivan. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Ireland saved the best until last by completing a royal flush of Nations League wins at the home previously known as Windsor.
Two rapid braces over a 13-minute blitz either side of half-time sunk Northern Ireland and illustrated the gulf between the teams.
How exactly this sets Ireland up for next year’s Euro qualifiers will only be known then but through the quality of captain Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan and others like Megan Connolly and Heather Payne chipping in, their superiority has been abundantly clear in this series.
A result for the North was imperative to hold a chance of escaping League B too as despite leading Hungary by two points heading into the final games the Magyars were facing Albania.
While Hungary advance to a promotion playoff, this set of results demotes Tanya Oxtoby’s northerners into a relegation decider to avoid dropping into League C.
How the planets have shifted from 2020 when the Republic watched on as their victors Ukraine were beaten by the North to seal a place at the Euros.
Incentivising Ireland was the distinction of completing a full house of six wins from their maiden Nations League campaign.
Eileen Gleeson could also bow out of her tenancy as the only manager to claim a half dozen competitive victories on the spin. Vera Pauw had done likewise but those included friendlies.
Ireland weren’t expecting a friendly reception to Amhrán na bhFiann being played for the first time but at least it was a respectful one.
The neighbours have come a long way since the poisonous atmosphere of the 1993 men’s World Cup qualifier, as has the women’s game, and that watershed was passed without a hint of controversy.
There was little debate either about the outcome.
As much as the opening half hour was taut and tense, with Rebecca Holloway’s long-range shot landing on the roof of Courtney Brosnan’s net, time was always going to the enemy for the home side.
That initial tension was encapsulated by McCabe’s duel with Rebecca McKenna. How the Arsenal playmaker wasn’t cautioned by the Czech referee for any one of the three incidents she immersed herself in was a mystery but the brave full-back stuck with the task of shadowing the maestro.
A couple of corners came and went without threat for Northern Ireland and their guests displayed their quality with two goals 90 seconds apart.
Lucy Quinn, one of two newcomers to the team that edged past Hungary on Friday, was presented with a pass from McCabe who had been picked out on the left with a Crossfield pass by Caitlin Hayes.
Quinn’s drive toward the box was closed down too late, allowing her 20-yard shot clip off Chloe McCarron to wrongfoot Maddy Harvey-Clifford.
The Crusaders stopper was soon beaten again in a move that had Quinn central again. She was the creator this time, receiving a pass from Heather Payne who sped straight into the box to connect with Quinn’s cross with a sidefooted volley.
That was the end of any shock talk and the victors added two more early in the second half.
McKenna’s odd withdrawal at the break afforded McCabe all the time she needed to roam towards the corner and telegraph a delivery for Kyra Carusa to nod past the stranded goalkeeper.
McCabe then matched Carusa’s haul of five goals in the campaign when collecting Megan Connolly’s pass on the left and slaloming across the pitch to float a screamer with her right foot into the top corner.
Connolly set up two more, both from corners, as she found Louise Quinn from the right and the centre-back angled a bullet header into the top corner to make it 5-0.
Despite substitute Kerry Beattie scrambling one back from a corner with 15 minutes left, the margin was restored four minutes from full-time.
Connolly’s accuracy was perfect again, sailing her corner towards Hayes who brushed off her marker to slide in with a volleyed finish.
Maddy Harvey-Clifford; Rebecca McKenna (Demi Vance 46), Sarah McFadden, Laura Rafferty, Carragh Hamilton; Chloe McCarron (Megan Bell 82); Rebecca Holloway, Marissa Callaghan, Nadene Caldwell (Danielle Maxwell 66), Lauren Wade; Simone Magill (Kerry Beattie 46).
Courtney Brosnan; Caitlin Hayes, Louise Quinn (Chloe Mustaki 82), Megan Connolly; Heather Payne, Jamie Finn (Lily Agg 85), Ruesha Littlejohn (Jessie Stapleton 62), Katie McCabe; Denise O’Sullivan, Lucy Quinn (Izzy Atkinson 82); Kyra Carusa.
Veronika Kovarova (CZH)
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