Ireland impress as Katie McCabe dominates in victory over Albania at Tallaght Stadium
Katie McCabe of Republic of Ireland celebrates with teammates after scoring against Albania in Tallaght Stadium. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
THE Republic of Ireland made it three wins from three in the Women’s Nations League with a Katie McCabe hat-trick inspiring the team to a 5-1 victory over Albania at Tallaght Stadium.
The Dubliner’s work was complemented by Kyra Carusa scoring a brace midway through the second half in front of 5,752 spectators.
Denise O’Sullivan made all of this possible as the midfielder never stopped running and trying to create something in the final third.
It could have been a reality check that halted any momentum surrounding the team as Albania equalised against the run of play within three minutes of McCabe poking in an Abbie Larkin cross.
The visitors to Tallaght Stadium won a free-kick over a Megan Connolly foul and the ensuring passage of play concluded with Arbenita Curraj finding an unmarked Megi Doçi and she headed in.
It pierced a party atmosphere that had been bubbling long before kick-off and Ireland got ready for the restart looking shellshocked.
They justified their favourites tag by dominating possession once the game got back underway, and that led to a number of chances being created by players like O’Sullivan. The first one was from distance and Diane Caldwell hit the ball straight into Viona Rexhepi’s hands.
The pressure paid off when O’Sullivan won Ireland a corner and the set piece was headed out to McCabe. The full-back’s shot deflected off a red and black jersey and the ball rolled in to make it 2-1 in the 26th minute.
Any feeling of tension evaporated there and then, and Ireland closed out the first half by pushing for a third goal.
O’Sullivan was in the right place to get it for Ireland after the Albania goalkeeper spilled a cross, but Rexhepi recovered and stopped the midfielder from getting to the ball. Louise Quinn was the next player to try something and her header inside the area was caught on the goal-line by Rexhepi.
An Albanian corner led to the third goal as Ireland broke and McCabe threaded a pass through to Carusa.
The striker finished neatly with her right boot and she got her second of the game just three minutes later.
McCabe was once again the creator and Carusa headed in to get her fourth goal in three Women’s Nations League games.
All of this happened during a flurry of activity that ended with Ireland 4-1 up and still 20 minutes to play.
Albania did try and pull one back and Louise Quinn put a goal-bound shot out for a corner that came to nothing.
McCabe completed her hat-trick in the 82nd minute with a free-kick that hit the back of the back of the net at the South Stand.
Courtney Brosnan; Caitlin Hayes, Diane Caldwell, Louise Quinn, Katie McCabe, Denise O’Sullivan, Megan Connolly, Tyler Toland, Izzy Atkinson, Abbie Larkin, Kyra Carusa.
Erin McLaughlin for Atkinson (57); Sinead Farrelly for Connolly (57), Jamie Finn for Larkin (70), Emily Whelan for Carusa (82), Chloe Mustaki for Caldwell (82).
Viona Rexhepi; Luçije Gjini, Arbenita Curraj, Sara Maliqi, Mikaela Metalla, Ezmiralda Franja, Qendresa Krasniqi, Gresa Berisha, Alma Hilaj, Kristina Maksuti, Megi Doçi.
Mimoza Hamidi for Metalla (55); Valenita Troka for Maksuti (84), Armela Tukaj for Curraj (89), Matilda Gjergji for Krasniqi (89).
Lizzy Van Der Helm (Netherlands)
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