Katie McCabe saves Irish blushes, but disappointment with Slovakia hits World Cup hopes
After the Helsinki record, Tallaght torpor to bad Ireland, which dropped points for Slovakia, meaning they dropped temporarily to fourth in the World Cup qualifiers before visiting undefeated Georgia next Tuesday.
Artina Šurnovská made a nice rush in the 65 minute, but was eventually stopped by Katie McCabe.
Both sides had a chance to win, but the Slovak point is much more valuable to them; how expensive the dropped points are for Ireland will be revealed next year.
Sweden, the team leader, served them in the second pool game by losing a second consecutive loss to the Finns.
Ireland got off to a good start, but Slovakia was probably a better outfit for the evening, more consistent and balanced in most of the things they tried; Ireland was not.
Katie McCabe’s driven cross just dodged Louise Quinn’s brightly original; the captain also provoked a reservation from Andrea Horváthová, but the formula was not formed when the visitors shrugged their shoulders out of position.
Slovakian dangerous Mária Mikolajová wrote freely to the right to work a decent left-footed run, but Courtney Brosnan was nicely behind the first shot of the game in the tenth minute.
Dominika Škorvánková re-tested Brosnan after 38 minutes. Substance O’Gorman and Lucy Quinn rumble at dangerous intersections as the green pieces flood forward.
From the next corner, the trademark double play – Katie McCabe’s Corner and Louise Quinn’s Head – forced the evening’s first rescue of Maria Korenčiova.
Payne was sent a long ball towards Denis O’Sullivan’s shot, but the ball went wide.
Two minutes after the break, Slovakia amazed the Irish.
Turning control of the ball to the left, the ball swept wide to the right and the rotating Brugge player Ľudmila Maťavková.
Savannah McCarthy was dragged to the right and was unable to cover the cross, and Maťavková found it accurately when she wore only one white shirt when aiming. Martina Šurnovská bundled home from a distance with Niamh Fahey, who was caught flat.
Ireland, momentarily amazed, regrouped and made its best move before the hour. A wonderful trick by Megan Connolly that left the pint-sized Slovak goalkeeper in the hands.
Lucy Quinn did attempt a finish, but from an awkward position, sending the ball into the away fans.
Fortunately, Ireland finally made a great save, which deserved a goal that Captain McCabe scored at home on the deck of the WSL table.
Pauw did not immediately chase the winner, but simply chose to change his right, and Slovakia’s interest in the winner was renewed.
Bíróová threw himself into the corner after 74 minutes, but Brosnan saved Ireland once again.
But then the Irish goalkeeper almost exploded and hit the ball, giving Žemberyová an unobstructed shot. but Louise Quinn performed a miracle trade diving intervention to save her colleague from flushing.
And maybe the Irish World Cup wishes.
Ireland – Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy; O’Gorman (Littlejohn 70), Finn, O’Sullivan, Connolly, McCabe; Lucy Quinn (Carusa 84), Payne.
Slovakia – Korenčiová; Horváthová, Bíróová, Fischerová, Bartovičová, Vojteková; Škorvánková, Mikolajová, Šurnovská (Žemberyová 65), Hmírová (Lemešová 78), Maťavková (Panáková 88).
referee – Jelena Cvetkovic (Serbia)