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RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
McCabe: Only 'massive' improvement will suffice against Slovenia
Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe says only a "massive improvement" next Tuesday against Slovenia will offer the Girls in Green any chance of promotion to League A of the Nations League. Carla Ward's side fell behind four minutes after the interval at Esenler Stadium in Istanbul, but Turkey's hopes of upsetting a side 35 places above them in the world rankings were scuppered by an own goal and Emily Murphy's last-minute winner. It was yet again another below-par display overall by Ward's charges, but the result at least keeps promotion hopes alive. Just about. Ireland must beat Slovenia - a side they lost 4-0 to earlier in the campaign - 5-0 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday to win the group and gain promotion to League A. Failure to achieve that result and they'll head for a promotion/relegation play-off against one the League A third-placed teams in the autumn. Reflecting on the scrappy win, McCabe says while the result was key, only an upturn in general play will suffice on Leeside. "We got the result and that's what matters in the end but from a performance point of view we have to be miles better going into Tuesday," she told RTÉ Sport. 🇹🇷 1-2 🇮🇪 Ireland captain Katie McCabe: "We got the result and that's what matters in the end but from a performance point of view we have to be miles better going into Tuesday" #UWNL — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 30, 2025 "We didn't move the ball quick enough, we didn't move Turkey quick enough. We allowed them into the game with some sloppy mistakes. "It gave them that sniff to go forward. We need a massive improvement if we are going to beat Slovenia on Tuesday. "It's a tough ask. They have played brilliant for the whole Nations League campaign. I've got belief in us We can score goals from different phases of play. "We can't rush it. We have to be patient. We need to be at our absolute best." The skipper cited a change in tactics under Ward, as players get used to her style, as a possible explanation for Ireland's sluggish starts in games, but was particularly aggrieved by the manner in which they conceded the opening goal of the game, Kader Hancar finishing past Courtney Brosnan. "This is our fifth game under Carla, it's not going to be perfect," she said. "From a standards point of view, we have to implement that (gameplan) a little quicker and come out of the traps faster. "If we want to be pushing for (League) A in the Nations League, we can't be conceding goals like that, we gave them too much space. We need to take more care with the ball." After playing her part in Arsenal's Champions League-winning exploits against Barcelona last week, there were suspicions that Ward might start the Tallaght woman on the bench. McCabe however was included from the off, putting in a player of the match display and said she never had any fears that mental or physical exertions from the club celebrations would impact her international duties. "I feel really good," she said. "It was a massive result for the club last week and we were ecstatic with becoming champions. I enjoyed the full celebrations, but it was full focus on these two games. "I said to Carla when I came in I was ready to play and give it all for the team."
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'That's an Irish mentality' - Carla Ward hails spirit in Turkey
Carla Ward believes "an Irish mentality" helped her side turn things around against Turkey and keep their Nations League promotion hopes alive. One down heading into the 80th minute, a Busem Seker OG and an excellent Emily Murphy volley got the Republic of Ireland out of Istanbul with a precious 2-1 victory. They finish their campaign with a clash against unbeaten Slovenia at Páirc Ui Chaoimh on Tuesday. The Girls in Green were hammered 4-0 in Koper, so they must beat the Slovenians by five goals or more to top the group and gain promotion to League A. If they don't, Ireland will head for the two-legged promotion/relegation play-offs in the autumn, when they'll be pitted against one of the third-placed League A sides. "That's character, that's character for you," Ward told RTÉ Sport when reflecting on Friday's win. "That's an Irish mentality... never rolling over. Even when we went 1-0 down - which we're disappointed with the goal - the reaction after that, the togetherness, the attitdue to go and win tackles, close gaps, making sure we were front footed is something we can walk away and be proud of. "I actually think winning it like that at the death puts us in a good position for Tuesday." Any late win is a sweet one, but overall this was not a strong Irish display. They looked short of ideas against well organised, physical opponents, delivering another under-par first-half showing - something that's become a bad habit over the last few matches. "It's something we've got to keep addressing," Ward said. "We've got to keep trying to work out why, and it's something we spoke about before the game, 'let's not wait till half-time to adjust and go after things, we have to start brighter'. "We can't wait for 45 minutes against Slovenia to be at them. There's going to be a lot of looking at that. We've got to dissect it, we've got to get into it, we'll go and have some honest conversations about how we start bright. "But listen this group's hungry. They don't want to roll over, they want to go. We've got a young and hungry squad that want to all play. "We saw that tonight with some changes. We need to be way better come Tuesday. There'll be a few things we need to tweak again, but the most important thing is we got the three points." Slovenia have won all five of their games so far and utterly dismantled Ireland back in February. Managed by Sasa Kolman, who counts Donegal boss Jim McGuinness as mentor, they are unquestionaly a coming team. To beat them by any scoreline will require a top performance . To beat them by five would be a minor miracle. But Ward insists her players will keep the faith and give everything to pull off what would be a remarkable result. "We've lost one game, which we know hurt us," she added. "We walked away with a win tonight, let's remember that. We've put ourselves in a position were we can go on Tuesday and try and finish top. If we don't, then we've put oursleves in a position now where we get a second bite of the cherry in (the play-offs in) October. "We have to win 5-0, which is not easy against any team now because women's football is improving in every country as you can see in all the Nations Leagues, A, B and C. So it's going to be tough. "One thing we will do is go out there with an attitude, a mindset and a belief that anything is possible. The Irish love that. I love that. It's why I took the job. We'll certainly give it absolutely everything. "I've heard an awful lot about Cork, I've heard about the noise down there. We're going to need everyone. We're going to need every single bit of Irish noise and blood because we're going to give everything, and we need the fans to back us, we need the fans to be there, loud.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Katie McCabe warns Ireland must be ‘miles better' in crunch clash against Slovenia as Carla Ward calls for ‘Irish noise'
KATIE McCABE warned Ireland will have to be 'miles better' if they are to beat Slovenia after their late win over Turkey. But manager Carla Ward believes her mentality monsters showed they are up for the fight that awaits them at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Advertisement 2 Katie McCabe admitted Ireland need to be miles better against Slovenia Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Carla Ward believes Ireland showed the grit needed for the clash against Slovenia Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The Girls in Green secured second place in League B of the Emily Murphy's late goal sealed a comeback win after The win sets up a winner-takes-all clash against next Tuesday, with Carla Ward's side needing to win 5-0 to top the group on the head-to-head. But captain Advertisement Read More on Ireland WNT She told RTE: 'We got the result and that is what matters in the end. 'For us, from a performance point of view, we have to be miles better going into Tuesday. 'I felt we didn't move the ball quick enough, we didn't move 'We are going to need a massive improvement if we are going to beat Slovenia on Tuesday.' Advertisement Most read in Football Ireland fell behind to Hancar's opener on 48 minutes after the hosts played through their high press and launched a counter-attack down the left. Needing a reaction, Carla Ward introduced Kyra Carusa, Emily Murphy, and Saoirse Noonan on the hour mark, while Megan Campbell came on with 15 minutes to play. 'You can't make this up' - Irish fans in stitches at Ruesha Littlejohn's playful prank upon Katie McCabe's camp arrival And the subs came good, with Campbell's trademark long throw-in forcing a Busem Seker own goal with ten minutes to go before Murphy slammed home the winner at the death. McCabe added: 'I think if we folded that early with all that much time to play for it, it wouldn't be us from a character point of view. Advertisement 'I really think a big kudos to the girls coming off the bench today. They changed it and I was very proud of them, especially Murph getting the winner. 'Murph has done really well since she has come back from America. She is over in 'It is not easy coming in straight off the back of the couple of camps so she has been getting her head down and working very hard and she took her chance today.' PLUCK OF THE IRISH Ireland lost 4-0 to Slovenia back in February, and will need a 5-0 win in Cork next Tuesday to top League B. Advertisement Winning the group will guarantee a play-off for the 2027 Pairc Ui Chaoimh was the And Carla Ward urged fans to turn out in numbers to cheer her side over the line. She said: 'We have to win 5-0 which is not easy against any team now because women's football; is improving in very country as you can see in every Nations League - A, B, and C. Advertisement 'It is going to be tough but one thing we will do is go out there with an attitude, mindset and belief that anything is possible. 'The Irish love that, I love that. It is why I took the job. 'I have heard an awful lot about Cork. I have heard an awful lot about the noise down there. We are going to need everyone. 'We are going to need every bit of Irish noise and blood because we are going to give everything. Advertisement 'We are going to need the fans to back us, we need the fans to be there loud. As a nation, if we come together, anything is possible.'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Ireland player ratings: Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan shine brightest in win over Turkey
Here's how the Girls in Green rated in their Nations League B Group B' win over Turkey in Istanbul.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Emily Murphy's late cracker rescues Ireland in Istanbul
Emily Murphy whalloped home an 89th-minute winner to get a below-par Republic of Ireland out of jail in Turkey on Friday evening. The Girls in Green toiled for the vast majority of this Nations League clash against Turkey in Istanbul, outfought and outfought at at Esenler Stadium. Kader Hancar's well-taken effort in the 49th minute looked like it would settle it, but a Busem Seker own goal followed by Murphy's excellent strike saw the Girls in Green snatch victory. They must beat Slovenia 5-0 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday to win the group and gain promotion to League A; otherwise they'll head for a promotion/relegation play-off against one the League A third-placed teams in the autumn. A good surface allowed for the ball to zip along nicely in a high-tempo opening. But Irish decision-making was frazzled as they tried to unsettle a red block of home defenders, every tackle cheered by noisy natives whose chants were soundtracked by a rhythmic drum. It was uninspiring fare. Abbie Larkin showed good strength to barrel past Ilayda Civelek down the right flank and whip in a decent cross, however every flash of positive Irish play was undermined by sloppiness in the final third. Turkish defender Sejde Abrahamson offered a reminder that the hosts packed a counter-punch too, surging forward and stinging Courtney Brosnan's palms with a low drive. And generally this contest followed the pattern we witnessed when the countries met in Dublin: physical and organised, Turkey comfortably soaked up any Irish pressure. Ebru Topcu and Meryem Cal - a tough, streetwise midfield pair - nullified the influence of Denise O'Sullivan, and without the Corkwoman's guile, Ireland were largely predictable. As their frustration increased, Turkish confidence grew. In the 28th minute Miray Cin slipped a lovely pass down Aoife Mannion's blind side to release Ilayda Civelek, who swung in an inviting cross. Hancar hit the deck, protesting she'd ben clipped by Jessie Stapleton as she called for a penalty. Her appeals fell on deaf ears. Soon after that Lucy Quinn cut inside and unleashed a dipping long-ranger that Akgoz tipped over the bar. That moment of adventure was not in keeping with a dour opening period though, summed up by Abrahamson and Civelek taking turns to hack O'Sullivan out of her stride as she escaped down the right wing. Ireland almost got stung in the 40th minute when Melike Pekel led a break, feeding Cin in acres of space on the left side of the box. Her effort was parried away by Brosnan, sparking a scramble that ended with Mannion bravely blocking Topcu's shot from eight yards out. Ireland finally woke up. McCabe drew a fine save from Akgoz on 40 minutes when she tried to bend one into the left corner from the edge of the box - and the skipper went agonisingly close a couple of minutes later when Akgoz flapped at a Connolly corner and McCabe's fierce shot was cleared off the line by Seker. It was a bright ending to a disappointing half for Ireland. Things were about to get significantly worse. 🇹🇷 1-0 🇮🇪 Kader Hancar starts and finishes a fine move to give the hosts the lead 📱 Live updates 📺 @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer 📻 @RTE2fm #UWNL — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 30, 2025 Four minutes into the second half, the visitors were caught rotten when Hancar's lovely flick released Civelek. She burst into the box, checked inside and returned a pass to Hancar who guided a low finish past Brosnan. Hancar was causing chaos. Her aerial prowess led to more panic in the Irish box, with Ward's charges looking increasingly ragged. The boss had seen enough. In the 59th minute she made a triple change: Murphy, Kyra Carusa and Saoirse Noonan came on for Sheva, Barrett and Larkin. Carusa instantly made her presence felt, rising to meet Anna Patten's cross to glance in a header that Akgoz saved. Her physicality gave Ireland a focal point they craved. Turkey began to sink deeper; pressure started to build. Campbell's introduction meant Ireland had a Guinness world record holder on the pitch for the last 15 minutes - at this stage, her huge throw-ins are no secret. But knowing what's coming, and stopping what's coming, are two very different things. In the 79th minute, Campbell's huge delivery was nodded by Seker back towards her own goal, and over the marooned Akgoz. All square - and now momentum was with the favourites. They peppered Turkey with crosses and throws, desperately hoping to prise open a crack in what was now an exhausted rearguard. 🇹🇷 1-2 🇮🇪 Emily Murphy takes advantage of a slip by Abrahamsson to send a superb half-volley to the back of the net 📱 Live updates 📺 @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer 📻 @RTE2fm #UWNL — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 30, 2025 They got it in the last minute of regulation time. Abrahamson looked in control as she prepared to clear McCabe's hopeful punt forward, until a little slip caused her to nod the ball into the path of Murphy. It sat up perfectly for the Newcastle United forward who belted home a super finish. Topcu was inches away from equalising in the sixth minute of injury time, her curler going just wide, and Ireland survived. Undeserved, concerningly disjointed, but a victory for the Girls in Green. They will not be spared on Tuesday at Páirc Uí Chaoimh if they replicate this performance against Slovenia, who've won all five of their group games to date. Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Aoife Mannion (Caitlin Hayes HT), Jessie Stapleton, Anna Patten, Katie McCabe (capt); Megan Connolly, Denise O'Sullivan (capt), Marissa Sheva (Emily Murphy 60); Lucy Quinn (Megan Campbell 74), Amber Barrett (Kyra Carusa 60), Abbie Larkin (Saoirse Noonan 60)
