Emily Murphy nets late goal as Ireland set up Nations League winner-takes-all vs Slovenia with crucial win over Turkey

The Irish Sun

5 days ago

IRELAND have cemented second place in League B of the Nations League with a smash-and-grab win over Turkey.
Emily Murphy's goal on the brink of injury time sealed the crucial three points for Carla Ward's side, who had to come from behind in Istanbul.
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Emily Murphy scored the winner for Ireland against Turkey
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
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Katie McCabe was Ireland's stand-out fresh after winning the Champions League with Arsenal
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Kader Hancar's goal shortly after half-time looked to be sending the hosts on the way to a famous win before Busem Seker's OG levelled up with ten minutes to go.
Right from the off, the pattern the game was clear, with the hosts happy for their visitors to have the lion's share of possession and challenge them to break them down.
Much of what Ireland did in the first-half was sloppy; careless with the ball and vulnerable without it.
Lucy Quinn drew a fine save from Selde Akgoz with a strike from outside the box as Carla Ward's side upped the tempo after the half-hour mark.
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But on the 40
th
minute mark, it was the home side who came closest.
Melike Peker was picked out with a fine pass out to the right. Her cross to the left found her opposite winger Miray Cin unmarked at the back post.
Courtney Brosnan was equal to the initial strike, while Aoife Mannion blocked the follow-up from Ebru Topcu.
The game opened up from here to the half-time whistle, and chances followed for Ireland.
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Katie McCabe played all 90 minutes less than a week after winning the Champions League with Arsenal.
And she forced Selda Akgoz into a fine save with a curling strike from the edge of the box, while the Gunners star had a shot cleared off the line from Megan Connolly's subsequent corner.
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On the stroke of half-time, meanwhile, Amber Barrett was denied by Akgoz from a tight angle.
Just three minutes into the second-half, however, disaster struck.
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Turkey did well to play themselves through Ireland's press. The ball was put into the feet of Kader Hancar, who turned it around the corner into the onrushing Hayda Civalek.
She charged down the left before checking inside and returning possession to Hancar, who buried past Brosnan and give the home side the lead in Istanbul.
Ireland were all at sea defensively. Civalek's cross from the left pinballed between defenders before it was eventually cleared.
The visitors came close to potentially coming close on 55 minutes when Larkin skipped past her marker down the right and fed O'Sullivan.
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The North Carolina Courage midfielder put a low cross across the face of goal, where there was nobody to apply the finishing touch.
Needing some sort of reaction, Carla Ward called on Kyra Carusa, Emily Murphy, and Saoirse Noonan on the hour mark.
The former had a sniff of an opening within a minute of her introduction, when Anna Patten's cross from the right was met with a header that was straight at Akgoz.
Carla Ward introduced Ireland's worst kept secret weapon in Megan Campbell and her throw-in for the final 15 minutes.
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Campbell's first throw came to nothing on 77 minutes but, just three minutes later, it paid dividends when defender Busem Seker headed into the back of her own net.
Saoirse Noonan's header from a McCabe went wide on 83 minutes as the visitors went in search of a winner.
And on 89 minutes, they got it.
A long, hopeful pass from Katie McCabe looked to be comfortable for Sejde Abrahamsson.
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However, the defender slipped and presented the chance for Emily Murphy, who smashed past Akgoz.
Turkey came close to equalising right at the death when Ireland failed to clear farther than Ebru Topcu, whose shot flashed just wide.
The Girls in Green saw the result out and set up a winner-takes-all clash with Slovenia at Pairc Ui Chaoimh next Tuesday.
Ireland:
Brosnan 6; Mannion 5 (Hayes HT, 6), Patten 6, Stapleton 6, McCabe 7; Connolly 6; Larkin 6 (Noonan 59, 6), O'Sullivan 5, Sheva 5 (Carusa 59, 6), Quinn 5 (Campbell 74, 6); Barrett 6 (Murphy 59, 6)
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