Seven different scorers see Ireland destroy Kazakhstan to all but seal World Cup playoff final spot
VERY NICE: Jamie Finn celebrates after scoring her side's sixth goal. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile.
You’d have to wonder if these lopsided playoffs benefit anyone.
Uefa, in their determination to scrap friendlies, introduced another version of easy street matches by pitting teams from League A against C in a convoluted system.
With 11 guaranteed places for the World Cup on offer from Europe, Uefa decreed that only four would qualify automatically.
A mammoth 32 others would compose the playoffs, effectively another competition, which meant only 17 of the original 53 entrants are eliminated.
Last time out, for Euro 2025, Norway hammered Albania 14-0 on aggregate, Sweden blitzed Luxembourg 12-0 and Ireland trounced Georgia 9-0.
This cakewalk in Astana puts them on the cusp of surpassing that winning margin when they welcome Kazakhstan to Pairc Uí Chaoimh for Tuesday’s second leg (7.30pm).
Kazaks will travel without their captain, Yulia Myasnikova, who was harshly sent off for a professional foul when 3-0 down just past the half hour mark.
Three minutes later and her goalkeeper Nazym Ismailova followed, this time in agony clutching her wounded arm.
Ireland were five goals to the good by the break, another three arriving after the break to complete the rout. Seven different goalscorers, three of them getting their first international goals, will hearten Ireland boss Carla Ward.
Tuesday is just another stopgap until the crunch business arises in the playoff final, against the victor of the other semi-final between Belgium and Poland.
Those two legs, likely to be on December 1 and 5, will determine whether Ireland seal a second successive World Cup appearance, this one in Brazil next year.
Light work was made of the side ranked 98th in the world from the seventh minute when Kyra Carusa grabbed the first of her brace. Her looping header from Chloe Mustaki’s left-wing cross allayed any fears that the artificial surface might curb their stride.
Mustaki herself grabbed the second, the first goal of her long but only 20-cap international career coming when she finished the rebound after Emily Murphy’s close-range shot clattered off the crossbar.
Carusa, operating in a deeper role than usual, made it 3-0 on 28 minutes by glancing her header home before Murphy added a fourth a minute before the break. She availed of a fumble by substitute goalkeeper Angelina Portnova from Abbie Larkin’s rising shot.
The hosts couldn’t curtail Mustaki’s influence from the left-wing berth, evidenced by another cross of hers enabling Larkin to make it 5-0 just before the half-time whistle.
Amber Barrett’s introduction for the second half offered a different dimension but didn’t alter the momentum. A cross by Aoife Mannion from the right this time, on 58 minutes, enabled Jamie Finn to put her injury disappointment behind her by breaking her goal duck in an Irish jersey.
Another newcomer to the scoring ranks was Shanade Hopcroft, the debutant finding the net with her first touch with 17 minutes left.
Mannion was again the provider and it was from the same direction, this time via Larkin, that Jessie Stapleton powered her header back across goal into the top corner.
“We’d practiced deliveries from out wide during the week and it worked,” said player of the match Mustaki afterwards.
“I’m glad to see a lot of players coming on to prepare for the bigger games ahead. We want to qualify for Brazil and once we get through Tuesday we’ll have a big opponent in Belgium or Poland.”
N Ismailova (A Portnova 35): M Burova, Y Myasnikova, L Nurusheva, T Vlassova; B Babshuk, M Nizamutdinova (Y Norbayeva 62), I Zhumbaikyzy (T Popova 76); T Gaistenova, G Bibossynova (M Sadykova 75), N Turlybekova (P Osipova 76).
C Brosnan; A Patten (H Nolan 70), J Stapleton, C Hayes (S Hopcroft 70); A Mannion, M Connolly (T Toland 46): J Finn, E Murphy (A Barrett 46). A Larkin, C Mustaki; K Carusa (L Kiernan 46).
Karoline Marie Jensen (Norway).
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