Megan Connolly and Saoirse Noonan fly Cork flag in Páirc with Denise O’Sullivan out
Hayley Nolan, Saoirse Noonan, from Cork, and Jamie Finn with young fans Lauren Desmond and Naomi Walsh at City Hall this week. Picture: Brian Lougheed
The Republic of Ireland will be without Denise O’Sullivan for tonight’s crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier with a Netherlands side sitting on top of the table at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 7.30pm.
The midfielder is suspended after picking up two yellow cards in the April international window, meaning the representatives of the Rebel County in the squad are Saoirse Noonan and Megan Connolly.
O’Sullivan will be back on Tuesday, for what could be a winner takes all game with France at the at Stade des Alpes.
The Girls in Green have some solace as a play-off spot has been secured through the Nations League, but they want more with two huge matches to come over the next five days. The Dutch will arrive with eight points collected, including a victory over Ireland at Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht.
Things started well, with Caitlin Hayes almost scoring twice from corners in the opening six minutes.
The Netherlands did take the lead in the 20th minute when a cross from the right flashed across the face of goal to Lineth Beerensteyn for a close range finish.
Ireland responded well, with Emily Murphy and Lucy Quinn both having efforts from distance but neither shot tested the Dutch goalkeeper. The Netherlands wrestled in late in the half and finished strong with a number of attempts needing a stern hand from Courtney Brosnan.
The Girls in Green equalised with a penalty after Anna Patten was fouled as she challenged for the ball following a corner. McCabe stepped up and made no mistake from the spot in the 50th minute.
The game was decided by Beerensteyn’s second, from a corner after the ball dropped to the feet of the forward.
Ireland rallied looking for another equaliser, but it wasn’t to be as the Netherlands were able to grind out the result.
The Leeuwinnen kept their good form in April by taking four points from their games with France, including a memorable victory over Les Bleues in Breda.
Ireland will look to upset the Netherlands at a venue selected by the FAI after successful outings in Cork against France and Slovenia.
The Dutch clash will be the biggest of the lot, as there is a legitimate chance of topping the group and automatically qualifying for the finals.
Ward will be approaching this tie without O’Sullivan, the talismanic midfielder that was cautioned twice in two games against Poland in the spring. Emily Murphy is also out over bookings incurred earlier in the campaign, after scoring the first goal in the 3-2 victory in Gdańsk last April.
The squad is boosted by the return of Jessie Stapleton, who is recalled following her recovery from injury, alongside Crystal Palace defender Hayley Nolan.
The Cork contingent will go into this window after impressive seasons in Scotland and Italy, with Noonan getting the match-winning assist as Celtic defeated Rangers in the Scottish Women’s Cup final last Sunday.
Connolly was with Lazio in Serie A Femminile, and helped the club finish in fifth place, six points from Champions League qualification. The Eagles also reached the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia Femminile and were defeated by rivals AS Roma, a team that ended the year as double winners and competed alongside the best in the world in the Women’s Champions League.
Noonan and Connolly can say that they finished their seasons strongly, with focus now on qualifying for the FIFA World Cup.
Ireland have their destiny in their own hands, with seeded position secured in the play-off draw and there is the possibility for more over the coming days.
The Girls can see Brazil in the distance, and they know what it’s like to dig in to secure qualification after that famous night against Scotland in October 2022. Four years have passed, and there’s now another opportunity to play at a major tournament. Ireland need to snatch it, either this week or through the play-offs in the autumn.
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