Imperative that Ireland avoid another Greek tragedy 

Any slippage on Friday in the Crete village of Heraklion threatens to hurtle the Ireland team into freefall.

Head coach Carla Ward during a Republic of Ireland women's media conference at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium in Heraklion, Greece. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

All too frequent in recent years has Greece been the word associated with Irish failure on the international stage.

Stephen Kenny’s tenure as men’s boss was administered its last rites by two defeats in the space of five months in 2023.