Katie McCabe's brace gives Ireland commanding lead to take to Belgium
AT THE DOUBLE: Katie McCabe celebrates after scoring her second of the evening. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.
Katie McCabe’s indispensability to the Ireland team was underlined by her brace putting Carla Ward’s side within touching distance of the top tier of nations for next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
It’s a pity only 14,118 were in Lansdowne Road to witness the Arsenal winger’s masterclass, her penalty in first-half stoppage time added to by another pair after the break.
The hat-trick she thought was hers was removed by Uefa shortly after full-time.
It was harsh because her shot on the run hit the net, via the post and the back of goalkeeper Nicky Evrard.
Belgium’s record of three Euro finals in a row ensures they’ll fancy overturning the two-goal deficit in Tuesday’s second leg in Leuven but it will take a vast improvement on this early Halloween horror show.
Tuesday is also significant for crowning McCabe as Ireland’s latest centurion.
After swelling her goal haul to 31 at international level, she’ll fancy enjoying more highs in the Lowlands.
“If you’d offered me a two-goal lead before this game, I’d have snapped your hand off,” said Ward.
“This tie is far from over and the game will be massively different in Belgium but we can improve too.
“This was Katie’s best performance for Ireland in a long time.”
That’s indisputable. From almost being red-carded on her last visit to the stadium for the Euro playoff defeat, she was in red-hot form.
“I grew up watching Robbie Keane scoring hat-tricks and Damien Duff dribbling down the wing in the old Lansdowne,” explained the player of the match.
“I was aware of the noise around team not being pretty to watch but we were at it from the start.
“It was a great win but we have to be humble because Belgium will be a test on Tuesday. To be honest, I was disappointed we conceded two sloppy goals.”
If Ireland complete the upset, they will possess the parachute of a playoff route to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil regardless of how they fare in the regulation qualifiers between February and June of next year.
Belgium were insipid from the outset and while Ireland took time to flourish, they were fully deserving of their interval lead.
Denise O’Sullivan was starting with just 20 minutes of football in the tank after her knee injury but together with sidekick McCabe, they had the visitors in peril, in keeping with their yellow shirts.
Her pass on 11 minutes allowed Kyra Carusa to raid into the box and square for Emily Murphy, who couldn’t apply a proper connection from six yards on the stretch.
Laura Deloose fired wide on 19 minutes as Belgium came alive but it was otherwise a half in which Ireland fashioned the best openings.
Evrard didn’t look comfortable from McCabe’s set-pieces and all Ireland lacked was someone on the end of the many knockdowns in the box.
Ireland were down to 10 players when they forged ahead – Carusa waiting to return after receiving treatment – as another McCabe deadball caused chaos.
As the loose ball bobbled, Jess Stapleton’s shot struck the arm of Mariam Toloba before deflecting into Aoife Mannion’s path. Referee Franziska Wildfeuer waited until her shot to signal handball – even if it looked a natural position – enabling McCabe to send Evrard the wrong way.
Belgium sprung two changes at the break and soon levelled, aided by a rush of blood to Grace Moloney’s head. The stand-in goalkeeper was untested in the first half but her dash from goal made it easy for Tess Wullaert to lob the advancing stopper for the veteran’s 94th international goal.
Two minutes later and Ireland were back in the lead. Little seemed on when McCabe took control just inside the opposition half but her intuition influenced an audacious attempt that struck the far post, goalkeeper and landed into the net.
McCabe was urging more attacks at this stage and her next strike, eight minutes later, was a belter – arriving inside the box to bury a low left footer into the bottom corner.
Belgium were scrambling at this stage and another failure to clear presented Ireland with a third goal in 12 minutes. This time Marissa Sheva swiped at the ball as it cannoned around the box. The American-born player wheeled away in celebration after her rocket rippled the roof of the net.
Marie Detruyer, one of the half-time subs for Belgium, punished a half-clearance by Ireland with eight minutes left by driving her shot inside Moloney’s near post.
It could be crucial but, with newly thirtysomething McCabe in this form, Ireland are well positioned to kill the tie.
Regular defender Anna Patten may find it difficult to regain her spot after suspension.
G Moloney; J Stapleton, C Hayes, C Mustaki; A Mannion, D O'Sullivan (J Finn 75), R Littlejohn (T Toland 60), K McCabe; E Murphy, M Sheva; K Carusa (S Noonan 75).
N Evart; S Kees, A Tysiak, J Cayman, L Deloose; E Dhont (M Detruyer 46), T De Caigny (Z Mertens 46), MA Toloba; J Teulings, T Wullaert, F Delacauw (A Reynders 60)
Franziska Wildfeuer (Germany)
14,118
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