Second win over Poles eases Ward's World Cup 'obsession'

BACK TO BACK: Ireland’s Marissa Sheva celebrates with team-mates after scoring her side’s winning goal against Poland to boost their World Cup qualifying hopes. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

World Cup qualifier: Ireland 1 Poland 0

For once, Katie McCabe didn’t need to be the story of Ireland’s success.

Not that the world-class skipper didn’t influence the second win over Poland in five days, bringing six points that accrues dual benefits in the short and medium term.

Ireland can look forward to the World Cup play-offs in October, aware their road to Brazil is easier because third-placed teams carry seeded status.

Both play-offs, the semi and final, will have home advantage for Ireland.

Moreover, only a freak turn of results in June’s final double-header will prevent their status continuing among the League A elite for the Euro 2029 qualifiers.

Other players rather than McCabe took the limelight on a sunny spring afternoon encounter that attracted 18,267 to Lansdowne Road.

Denise O’Sullivan denied her team-mate Emily Murphy a fourth straight player of the match award with a performance typifying the traits she’s moulded over a 15-year stint as midfield lynchpin.

Gasps of admiration were audible when not once, but twice, the Cork woman flicked the ball over Martyna Wiankowska’s head inside the box before clattering a shot off the underside of the crossbar.

Murphy had also rattled the bar before Marissa Sheva slid in to supply the solitary goal four minutes before the break.

It was the first time in four games that Poland’s Barcelona star, Ewa Pajor, didn’t score, attributable to resolute Irish defensive work that restricted her sights on goal to one in each half.

Their only blemish was Aoife Mannion’s mistimed tackle midway through the second half, which somehow the Slovenian referee didn’t feel warranted a penalty.

That O’Sullivan incurred a booking for the second successive game was regrettable, especially given the ban she serves will merely be a few miles from her home at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Still, the hard work exerted, and points gained, over the past week accord bonus status to Ireland.

They’ve nothing to lose against Netherlands or France, only extra results to gain that could elevate them to second. Saturday night’s 1-1 draw between the Dutch and French was the desired outcome for manager Carla Ward.

“Finishing third is massive but we want to get three points in Cork which would set us up nicely for the final day in France,” she reasoned. “That would be the dream.”

In the cold assessment, there’s little difference between finishing second or third, only a morale booster approaching the crunch play-offs that conclude in December.

Not a morsel of concern exists about morale. Saturday’s win brought about Ireland’s first clean sheet for nine matches, vindicating the consistency of selection that manager Ward prides herself on.

Two substitutions in Tuesday’s 3-2 win in Gdansk, one in stoppage time, were followed by just one in the rematch.

Indirectly, though, losing both O’Sullivan and Murphy to suspension for the Dutch visit will lead to an audition for fringe players.

Ireland will approach those games, the second in Grenoble on June 9, likely occupying their highest ever Fifa ranking spot.

Their run to the 2023 World Cup was reflected by a rise to 22 and these couple of results against the Poles are projected to take them at least six places above the 27 they began this window in.

“I believe that we’ve progressed really well in the last 15 months,” said Ward about her tenure, which began with an inauspicious 4-0 loss to Slovenia in the opening double-header.

“The players feel that. We’ve a great environment, a strong, tight culture where we look after each other and run through brick walls.

“People should look at Ireland and say ‘you know what , they’re not just resilient but a bloody good footballing team as well’.

“I was thinking of fresh legs against Poland on Saturday but it was difficult because you don’t want to upset the rhythm.

“There are plenty of players who can step into that team but we have a very, very clear way of playing without the ball and with the ball.

“So all that will change are the players, not the style.”

Ward had spoken over the window in similar tones to her men’s team counterpart, Heimir Hallgrímsson, using terminology about when Ireland participate at the World Cup, not if.

“I took the job on the basis that there was something to build for us to get to major tournaments,” said the former Aston Villa and Birmingham City manager.

“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t believe we had the potential to get there. So we have to believe that we will. World Cups need players like Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan.

“I am obsessed with qualifying and that’s what we’ll continue working towards.”

IRELAND (3-4-2-1): C Brosnan; A Patten, C Hayes, C Mustaki; A Mannion, M Connolly, D O’Sullivan, K McCabe; M Sheva, E Murphy; K Carusa (A Larkin 72).

POLAND (4-3-3): K Szemik; W Zieniewicz, O Wos, P Dudek, M Wiankowska; E Kamczyk (P Sarapata 80), T Pawollek, A Achcinska (G Grzybowska 46); P Tomasiak, E Pajor, N Krezyman (W Zawistowska 65).

Referee: Aleksandra Česen (SVN).

Attendance: 18,267.