Offside call denies Ireland famous win in Italy
RULED OUT: Leanne Kiernan of Republic of Ireland scores a goal past Italy goalkeeper Katja Schroffenegger, that was subsequently disallowed. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Ireland were a marginal offside call from marking Eileen Gleeson’s first job as permanent manager with a statement win in Italy.
Facing an Italian side ranked 10 places above their 24th position in the world rankings, Leanne Kiernan had the ball in the net with 16 minutes left but the cross from fellow substitute Amber Barrett was deemed to have been a millisecond late for it to count.
VAR wasn’t available to verify either way.
It was the first game in seven that Ireland didn’t win but this was a step above the six previous matches they won against inferior opposition on the way to winning their Uefa Nations League B group.
The Italians represent the calibre of opponent they’ll now face in the top tier when the draw for the Euro 2025 qualifiers is made on March 5. They’ve a 25% chance of being grouped with the Italians from the second four-team pot as England.
This first friendly of the year illustrated the depth Gleeson has available now that she’s been upgraded from caretaker boss, until their involvement in the Euro series ends anyway.
“The talent pool is getting deeper,” Gleeson noted afterwards. “We’re getting more options, we’ve got some very good young players coming through and more players playing in higher level leagues that are fully professional.
“That performance just shows how this team has really developed. Over the last few years they’ve become hard to beat, but I think in terms of potential, they wanted to express themselves a bit more creatively and play a bit higher up the pitch.
"I think that they’ve shown that they can do that.”
Already without Denise O’Sullivan and Tyler Toland, who didn’t travel due to injury, they were joined on the absentee list by the misfortunate Jamie Finn after she ruptured her ACL in training.
Her Birmingham City captain Louise Quinn flew as an injury concern having dislocated her shoulder a month ago and sat this out, creating a cavity for Niamh Fahey to fill for her first involvement since last summer’s World Cup.
Also glad to be involved was Jess Ziu, over a year-and-a-half sidelined as one of the many knee injury victims.
She occupied the right wing of a 4-4-1-1 formation, sharing the midfield with two other former Shelbourne teammates, Izzy Atkinson and Jessie Stapleton. That made 26-year-old Megan Connolly the senior inhabitant of the central area.
There were no worries of inexperience, for Ireland produced a mature, disciplined display against an Azzurri side who’d taken the scalp of World Cup holders Spain during their Nations League exerrions.
Anointing the shiny, spanking new Viola Park training complex, bankrolled by Fiorentina-owned Rocco Commisso, this occasion was also of Italian significance for marking Sara Gama's swansong. This was the Juventus defender’s 140th and final cap, her official departure preplanned shortly after the restart for an emotional guard of honour by her colleagues.
Ireland had by that stage asserted their dominance. Kyra Carusa, operating as the lone striker, has twice ghosted in behind, the first time scuffing her shot at goalkeeper Katja Schroffenegger and then falling under the challenge of Gama, albeit not illegally.
Courtney Brosnan looked assured from the various crosses and frees hurtled in but she was helpless just before the break when Martina Piemonte’s shot from an acute angle deflected off Stapleton's and spun marginally wide of her far post.
Changes on both sides pockmarked the second half but Atkinson conjured a shot on target while after the pivotal offside decision Michela Catina nearly snatched it for the hosts but blasted over.
Onto Wales next Tuesday at Tallaght for Ireland, emboldened by their Italian job.
K Schroffenegger; S Gama (E Bartoli 50), E Linari, C Salvai; E Oliviero, A Galli (A Caruso 76), G Dragoni (B Bonansea 86), G Greggi (E Severini 76); B Glionna (A Bonfantini 65), M Piemonte, C Girelli (M Catena 65)
C Brosnan; H Payne (A Mannion 90), N Fahey, C Hayes, K McCabe; J Ziu (A Larkin 69), M Connolly, J Stapleton (Lily Agg 69), I Atkinson (L Kiernan 62); R Littlejohn (L Quinn 46); K Carusa (A Barrett 62).
E Rusta (Albania)
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