03-06-2025
Emotional Saoirse Noonan says ‘my Grandad would be proud' after achieving rare record for Ireland in win over Slovenia
SAOIRSE NOONAN beamed "my Grandad would be proud" after she achieved a historic first in Ireland's win over Slovenia.
The
striker
scored the winning goal as
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Saoirse Noonan scored the winning goal for Ireland against Slovenia
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
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She became the first person to play at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in soccer and GAA
Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
By starting for the Girls in Green, the 25-year-old became the first person to playing in the home of
football
.
In 2020, she played full forward for the Rebelettes against
She described it as a "surreal" occasion and revealed how much it would mean to her
family
.
Noonan said: 'Carla called the team last night.
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"When I got the nod, I just told my parents and kept it a bit quiet and just tried to treat it like another game.
'The goal, when it went in and hit off my head, I could just see it dipping. I don't even know how I celebrated or anything.
'I just had a little moment, took a deep breath and was back into focus, we wanted to get that
next
goal quick.
'My Grandad would have been a proud man tonight, he would have been at every game with my granny, and this was the first time she's seen me play senior (for Ireland).
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"It was emotional and it meant a lot to me.
'Being in Cork is enough motivation in itself. Wearing the Irish
jersey
is enough motivation.
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"You don't need anything else really. It does add that little bit of grit.
'Since the new stadium's been built, I played here with the Cork ladies footballers at senior level.
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"To come back wearing a different shirt, it's the same feeling, you're representing something you're really proud of.
"It's phenomenal.'
By beating
revenge
for the 4-0 hammering they received back in February.
However, it was not enough for
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Ireland will now face a third-placed team from League A in a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off in October.
Win the play-off and Ireland would also gain a guaranteed play-off spot for the 2027
