Rude awakening as Slovenian cuteness catches Ward and Ireland ice cold 

New manager is utterly outfoxed by her Jim McGuinness-inspired counterpart and then suggests Girls in Green have to change their expectations 

THAT KINDA NIGHT: Slovenia's Nina Kajzba celebrates as Ireland's Katie McCabe contemplates a rough night. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

SLOVENIA 4 IRELAND 0 

Tennis balls momentarily stopped play during Ireland’s first away game in the Uefa Nations League but this was game, set and match by the interval.

Slovenia have been chipping away at their women’s programme, aided by having a native in Aleksander Čeferin at the helm of Uefa. This was the upset they’d be craving.

While 14 places separated the countries in Fifa, it was the hosts who appeared the superior in every department. Manager Sasa Kolman had singled out Jim McGuinness in the build-up as his inspiration and there was an element of GAA cuteness in his portrayal of his young side as underdogs.

“I didn’t think we would win by that margin but I really believed we could win today,” he confessed afterwards. “It was a tactical win to be honest. We were really prepared for what Ireland would do.

“Sometimes you plan the strategies and the game changes but this was perfectly executed. I had no Plan B. As much as Ireland tried to adapt through the game, two or three times, it basically played into our hands.” 

Kolman schooling an experienced coach like Carla Ward doesn’t reflect well on the FAI’s new regime. His approach centred on laying a foundation of five defenders and deploying Paris FC midfielder Kaja Korošec to shadow Denise O’Sullivan.

Despite the Corkwoman forcing goalkeeper Zala Mersnik to paw away a shot at 1-0 in the first half, and clipping the crossbar late on, it was a generally subdued occasion for O’Sullivan, compounded by a booking.

“I told our guys in the middle not to move, to mark one-and one, and follow them everywhere,” added Kolman. “All I had to do was shut down the wings.” 

That he accomplished with aplomb. He was also aided by a shaky Ireland defence, reconfigured by Megan Campbell being forced to withdraw after straining a hamstring in the warm-up.

From the third minute when Anna Patten was caught out of position, allowing a pass to loft over her head for Lara Prasnikar to race clear and beat Courtney Brosnan, Ireland were exposed.

Prasnikar is a Bundesliga regular for Eintracht Frankfurt but it was who Zara Kramžar proved equally menacing to Ward and her team.

Part of the back-to-back Serie A champions Roma’s squad, the first 2006-born player to ever feature in the Italian top-flight supplied that assist for the breakthrough.

Prasnikar then got across Patten from Kaja Korošec’s corner from the right to hook a volley past Brosnan on 28 minutes before Ireland were serrated again six minutes later. This time Kramžar, who only turned 19 last month, tapped in on the goal line.

Maja Sternad supplied that cross and she was denied a goal herself on the stroke of the interval after charging through gaps to get a sight on goal. Thankfully for Brosnan, the shot didn’t carry the angle to find the corner, enabling the Everton stopper to bat it away.

Ward drafted Marissa Sheva and Tyler Toland in at the break but it made little difference. Instead, it was the hosts rattling the net – substitute Nina Kajzba rifling her left-footer across Brosnan after Spela Kolbi brushed off McCabe just inside the box.

“They were three horrible goals and the worst thing is we actually started quite well compared to Friday before they scored,” noted Ward. “There’s a sloppy mistake from us at the back and they go through and score. Then a set-piece and you’re chasing.” 

Ireland are already chasing Slovenia now to claim the top spot in the group they were tipped for as the top seed. A double-header against Greece in April will be followed by the concluding matches against Turkey away and Slovenia at home at the end of May.

Ward tried to experiment by pushing Katie McCabe further into attack, a ploy abandoned at half-time, but games are running out to make a difficult route to the 2027 World Cup that bit easier by the time the qualifiers begin this time next year.

“Of course, there has been a huge change,” explained Ward. “I’m probably the most self-reflective person. I’ll walk away and look at how we can be better.

“I’ve operated the system for 10 years. When I was at Birmingham we had a team that shouldn’t have stayed up but we did. We had a fluidity and a rhythm and ended up getting the points we needed.

“It’s a system we believe in but 100% we have to look at moments of that and elements of that and how we can be better.

"Sometimes when you have as big a defeat as this it can spark an attitude of we have to wake up. We have to put Wales behind us and we have to move forward.

"There is no denying a hangover from Wales. There is more hurt in the dressing-room than people realise. But maybe this is what is required for people to go ‘Look, are we going to continue to look backwards, or are we going to roll our sleeves up and look forward.’

"Yes it is a reality check. We have to be realistic about were we are at as a nation. There’s no harm in saying I believe it was an over-achievement to get to the next World Cup.

"They did fantastically well to get there. We have to recognise where we’re at and move that expectation. And really understand we are in a transition period and building with a younger squad."

SLOVENIA: Z Mersnik; K Erze, L Golob, D Conc, I Krizaj (K Janez 70); S Makovec, L Prasnikar, K Korosec, Z Kramzar (N Kajzba 62); M Sternad, S Kolbi.

IRELAND: C Brosnan; A Mannion, A Patten, M Connolly, K McCabe: H Payne (T Toland 46), R Littlejohn (M Sheva 46), D O’Sullivan, L Quinn; K Carusa, A Barrett (A Larkin 66).

Referee: Michalina Diakow (POL) 

Attendance: 533