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RTÉ News
8 hours 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.
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Ireland come from behind in Turkey to clinch battling win
Women's Uefa Nations League B TURKEY…1 (Kader Hancar 49 IRELAND… 2 (Busem Seker OG 79, Emily Murphy 89) Substitute Emily Murphy plundered a late winner against Turkey to afford Ireland the slender chance of leapfrogging Slovenia at Pairc Uí Chaoímh on Tuesday for top spot. With the Slovenians maintaining their perfect record by beating Greece 2-0 in Ljubljana, three points were a must in Istanbul. They were fortunate to take any after Kader Hancar gave the Turks a deserved lead early in the second half, forcing Carla Ward to rely on reinforcements such as throw-in specialist Megan Campbell from the substitutes' bench. Campbell's deep catapult from the sideline into a crowded penalty area with 11 minutes left met the head of the back-peddling Busem Seker, who glanced the ball over the head of her goalkeeper Selda Akgoz. Ireland chased the essential winner against the side situated 35 places behind them in Fifa's rankings and they were gifted with a minute remaining. Circumstance decreed that managing Katie McCabe gametime in the aftermath of her exertions with Arsenal's Champions League victory was ditched and her long punt proved fruitful. Inexplicably, Sejde Abrahamson slipped when attempting to clear, steering her header into the path of Murphy to smash her first international goal high into the net. The results mean Ireland must beat the table-toppers by at least four goals to usurp them for promotion to League A and guarantee entry into the playoff series for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. More to follow… TURKEY: S Akgoz; B Seker, G Hiz, S Abrahamson, I Civelek; E Topcu, M Cal, E Turkoglu; Miray Cin, K Hancar (M Ozturk 75). M Pekel. IRELAND: C Brosnan; A Mannion (C Hayes 46), A Patten, J Stapleton, K McCabe: M Connolly; A Larkin (S Noonan 60), D O'Sullivan, M Sheeva (K Carusa 60), Lucy Quinn (M Campbell 75); A Barrett (E Murphy 60). Referee: Kristina Georgieva (Bulgaria)
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Confucius Institute Ljubljana celebrates 15th anniversary
LJUBLJANA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 distinguished guests from the business, education, and cultural sectors of both China and Slovenia gathered here Tuesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute Ljubljana. Zhao Binghui, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Slovenia, spoke highly of the Institute's contributions to deepening multi-level and multi-field exchanges between China and Slovenia by promoting high-quality Chinese language education and organizing diverse cultural activities over the past 15 years. The Institute was jointly established by the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE) and the University of Ljubljana in May 2010. To date, the Institute has established five Confucius Classrooms and 26 teaching centers throughout Slovenia, providing Chinese language education from kindergarten to university level. "Language is a bridge for exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations," he noted. Qi Ming, chairman of SUIBE, also emphasized the Institute's role as a vital bridge between the two universities, helping foster mutual understanding between the Chinese and Slovenian peoples. He noted the partnership has led to diverse collaborations, including faculty and student exchanges, as well as joint research initiatives. Meanwhile, Danijela Voljc, the Slovenian director of the Institute, said that over 600 Slovenians are currently studying Chinese through its programs. Over the past 15 years, the Institute has trained several thousand more students, bringing Chinese and Slovenian cultures closer together, the director added. Since 2012, Chinese has been officially included in Slovenia's national education system.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Marissa Sheva helping fellow American Erin Healy settle into Ireland setup
Success attracts talent and it was inevitable the American diaspora would awaken from Ireland's World Cup watershed. Courtney Brosnan and Kyra Carusa had declared before qualification was secured in 2022, Sinéad Farrelly and Marissa Sheva pledged their allegiance in time for the trip to Australia, while Erin Healy became the latest convert. US-born players pursuing international exposure through ancestry is more prevalent in the women's game due to the status of the national team as Fifa's top ranked nation. Farrelly has since retired and Sheva was omitted from the squad for a period when Eileen Gleeson succeeded Vera Pauw as boss but she's back in favour under Carla Ward. The attacking midfielder has moved closer by joining Sunderland towards the end of the season and is pushing for a start in Friday's penultimate Uefa Nations League fixture against Turkey at the Esenler Stadium in Istanbul (6pm, Irish time). Healy could make her debut in attack and Sheva has been mindful about ensuring the newcomer feels at home in her new habitat. Ward last week flagged a move to England for the striker but her club Adelaide United yesterday announced a contract extension. 'I definitely remember my first camp in Spain,' said 28-year-old Sheva, resonating with Healy's experience this week. 'That always changes things and it's not a home camp in Dublin where everybody feels a little bit more at ease and comfortable. 'I'm trying to just make sure she feels comfortable and is able to perform the way she can and not feel any unnecessary stress outside of being on the pitch.' Turkey may be bottom seeds in the four-team pool that also includes Slovenia and Greece but they almost embarrassed Ireland in Ward's first game at the helm. Sheva is adamant progress has been made since that unconvincing 1-0 win at Tallaght in February. 'Hopefully we can beat Turkey by more than one goal,' said the Pennsylvania native. 'I think this will be a better camp than the first camp against the same opponents. 'There was almost an overhaul of tactics of what we were previously playing. It's really tough to implement that in one, two, or even three camps. 'We're being encouraged to build out from the back more, to be a little bit more aggressive from the getgo, trying to utilise our midfield more. You can't change that overnight.' Once Turkey is done, the squad travel back to Cork for the visit of Slovenia to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Unless the group leaders drop points against Greece, then Ireland's mission will be to equal or surpass the 4-0 victory the Slovenians achieved in Ward's second match. 'We've good memories from beating France in Cork last year,' she said about returning to the home of Cork GAA.
Extra.ie
4 days ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Katie McCabe halts Champions League celebrations to join Ireland squad in Istanbul
Katie McCabe will put her Champions League celebrations on hold as the FAI confirmed that the Irish captain will link up with the rest of the international squad in Istanbul this afternoon. McCabe and her Arsenal teammates paraded their trophy through North London yesterday, culminating in lifting it outside the Emirates in front of thousands of fans, following the Gunners' shock win over Barcelona in Lisbon. However, the Champions League winner's attention now turns to Ireland as she has to lead her team into a crucial double-header against Turkey this Friday, followed by Slovenia in Cork next Tuesday as they bid to secure top spot in Nations League Group B. Katie McCabe celebrates with the trophy. Pic: INPHO/Jose Breton They may need a favour from Greece, who face the Slovenians on Friday, or else Carla Ward's side will need to beat Slovenia by four or more goals in Páirc Uí Chaoimh next week. Louise Quinn, McCabe's longtime international teammate, who spent three years at Arsenal from 2017 to 2020, says that the Irish skipper has done her country proud. 'She did us all proud,' said the veteran defender. 'I can't believe it. It's going to feel weird when she comes into camp here. I was speaking to Emma Byrne there; she was there with Ciara Grant and Yvonne Tracy in 2007 for the last European win, and that was such an iconic photo with them three and the Tricolour. Katie McCabe of Arsenal celebrates with the UEFA Women's Champions League trophy. Pic: Daniela Porcelli/Sportsfile 'And now 18 years on, Katie has made sure there is another iconic photo. And it shows what a girl from Tallaght can do,' Quinn added. 'There have been moments when it has been difficult for her, trying to take the next step up. 'But she has constantly fought through it, with her grit, her talent and personality. It's totally deserved and Katie has shown what a young girl from Ireland can do.' Denise O'Sullivan and Kyra Carusa will also both link up with the squad today, having travelled from the US, where they were both on club duty, while Amber Whiteley, Ward's assistant coach, has also come into camp, despite still being in the mix to get the Liverpool job on a permanent basis.
