Cork's Megan Connolly embracing Lazio life

Connolly has a year left on her contract at Lazio but is not pining for a return to the UK

Megan Connolly said moving to Lazio has benefited her on and off the pitch. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

After almost two years living in Rome, Corkwoman Megan Connolly thought she’d grasped the entirety of Lazio’s footballing culture.

That was until she mingled with the hardcore fans of the men’s team for the recent Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan.

At one end of the Stadio Olimpico the Ireland midfielder found herself beneath a giant tifo featuring their symbolic eagle, accompanied by a line from the Ode to Joy. 

 “I went to the Curva, where all the ultras are, and it was quite an experience, to be fair,” the 29-year-old said about the atmosphere.

“It was something I would experience once but probably wouldn’t do it again because it was quite aggressive.” 

 Similar tension grips the derbies against Roma and it’s replicated, to an extent, in the women’s Serie A equivalent.

“Yeah, the intensity’s there,” Connolly admits about the local rivalry.

“The derbies are nice because when we go and play at Roma’s ground, their crowd is quite loud and similar to our one.

“It’s just as enjoyable as the North London derby in England. The fans are always against each other and it brings that extra edge.” 

Connolly was an integral cog in Lazio’s rise to fifth place this season.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion and Bristol City captain, reflecting while back in Cork for Friday’s visit of the Netherlands for a World Cup qualifier, still feels a pang of regret. Losing 2-1 to Fiorentina on the final day cost them Champions League qualification.

“It was grand, an improvement on last year, and we were pushing for a Champions League spot right until the end,” she outlines.

“Juventus were dropping points and it came down to the last series of matches. This was only our second season in Serie A so it’s a good step forward.” 

With a year left on her contract, Connolly isn’t pining for a return to the UK.

Ireland players Hayley Nolan, Jamie Finn and Megan Connolly training session at Fota Island Resort in Cork. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

“Coming to Lazio has benefitted me, on and off the pitch,” she reasons.

“It’s not a bad place to be, living in Rome. I can’t complain much on the pitch either as I’m playing week-in, week-out and the intensity is strong.

“Our coach (Gianluca Grassadonia) is probably one of the best I’ve worked with, in terms of the detail and his training. You’re always on the ball, touching the ball, and that’s made me a better player.

“The English league has pushed on since I left in terms of the investment on and off the pitch. You can’t argue against that.

“In Italy, there’s still a lot of room for extra investment but on the pitch the level is just as high.” 

That sharpness will be required when she squares up against Dutch gold at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Maintaining their winning trend at the home of Cork GAA, from beating both France in 2024 and Slovenia last year, will be an uphill struggle against a side topping the table after four of six qualifiers.

Connolly will marshal midfield without her fellow Leesider Denise O’Sullivan, who has joined the squad at Fota Island but won’t feature until the visit to France next Tuesday due to suspension.

“Honestly, I don't think my role will change much,” she said about the impact.

“We have a depth in the squad so there’ll be others ready to come in.

“Denise is one of our best players in history and will be missed but we have a style and way of playing now that keeps each other accountable.

“We know what's on the line, what the stakes of the game are.” 

Back-to-back victories over Poland in April ensured Ireland are guaranteed to be seeded in both ties of the World Cup play-offs later in the year.

Only by leapfrogging the top two seeds on the run-in could they snaffle one of the precious direct tickets to the finals in Brazil next year.

“Just because we won the two games it's kind of easy to think, ‘oh, maybe they were easy games’,” Connolly suggests about the Polish who held the Dutch to a 2-2 draw on the opening day.

“Poland were really tough to play against and the Dutch will be even harder. There's little things that we can tweak but we must keep the energy.

“The Cork crowd have been class for our two previous games there and we'll need that again. Hopefully we get a good crowd out there and put Cork on the map again.”