Helsinki, Gothenburg and Tallaght nights – Review of Ireland’s World Cup campaign – The Irish Times
Next comes the moon landing. This is what the World Cup looked like until now.
Ireland’s valiant quest to reach a major tournament has provided ground-breaking nights, ecstatic huddles and a harrowingly personal journey from delayed start to grandstand finish.
It’s been as much about Vera as it has been about Katie and Denise pillaging their ambitions to escape decades of despair. It’s been all about the results. in Helsinki and Gothenburg. And Tallaght nights. Brilliant, screaming Tallaght nights.
It has told of Courtney Brosnan’s never-before-seen tutorials with goalkeeping coach Jan Willem van Ede and her heroics in the shadow of Sonia O’Sullivan’s eternal moment at the Ullev Stadium. It’s about Louise, the awesome Quinn who rises above the rest.
It has never been about equal pay. Or the FAI’s snail’s pace in filling their strategic committee with women, because they admittedly cannot fill their board with female voices.
It’s been about sacrifices. An unforgivable, individual sacrifice.
“We don’t get the money that men get, where they can pick up and go and bring their families,” Quinn explained of clubbing in Sweden, Italy, North London and now Birmingham just to make ends meet.
“You have to do your dream job far away from your loved ones.”
It has been the historical revelations of women who have been at risk of mental and physical violence in the workplace.
“It’s all over the world and it happens every day,” Ireland coach Vera Pauw said after allegations of sexual coercion against North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley surfaced last year.
“Here in Ireland we are safe. There is a safe environment. You can feel it in the team as well. But there have been players everywhere [they] have had such experiences.”
Riley denied the allegations.
Last July, the Dutch newspaper NRC published a 6,000-word interview with Pauw detailing the rape and two separate “sexually transgressive acts” by three men who worked for Dutch football between 1986 and 1997.
Pauw’s time in Ireland has been a philosophy of ‘periodising football’. It’s been about ruthless commitment to a system that apparently works.
The rebellion began by snapping a seven-match losing streak in September 2021 when Australia won 3-2 in Tallaght.
“What a bunch of tigers we have,” said Pauw. “We know now that we are on the right path and we are walking our own path.”
World Cup qualifying campaign, group A
October 2021
Ireland 0-1 Sweden
Tallaght Stadium
Number of participants: 4,017*
World No. 2 vs. No. 33 Ireland almost grabbed a point. The own goal was brutal; Stina Blackstenius ran onto Filippa Angeldal’s ball and scored on Quinn’s heel.
“We’re picking up and getting closer and closer,” said Pauw. “It’s such a shame that one moment of organization when we didn’t connect.”
Ireland: Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy, O’Gorman; Lucy Quinn (Barrett 74), Connolly (Noonan 90), O’Sullivan, McCabe; Payne (Kiernan 74).
Big picture: When the team assembled in Dublin, Pauw vaguely mentioned his own personal experiences after The Athletic published detailed allegations of Riley’s abuse. “I’ve never experienced anything like that in Ireland,” he said. “And I hope it continues like that. In every other country I’ve experienced that. Everywhere I’ve coached.” Pauw previously worked in the Netherlands, South Africa, Russia, Scotland, Thailand and Houston.
Finland 1-2 Ireland
[Connolly, O’Sullivan]
Olympic Stadium, Helsinki
Connolly’s curling free kick was canceled out by Andelina Engman’s controversial goal in the care of the ever-hacking McCabe, before the excellent O’Sullivan headed in a late winner. There were so many “see-see” moments, but Heather Payne beat three Finns to force a corner and then sprinted 90 meters to a gliding pace. Natalia Kuikka summed up the collective attitude.
“That becomes our mantra: don’t collapse, never give up, stay in control,” said Pauw. “Play your game plan no matter what happens on the field.”
Ireland: Brosnan; O’Gorman, Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy, McCabe; Connolly, O’Sullivan, Finland; Lucy Quinn (Jarrett 74), Payne.
Big picture: “I’m gutted to lose him, I respect him so much,” said Pauw of assistant coach Eileen Gleeson, who became Glasgow City manager. “We tell each other everything we want without losing each other.”
November 2021
Ireland 1-1 Slovakia
[McCabe]
Tallaght Stadium
Participants: 5,154
Fifa ranked 33rd vs 45th Ireland Stumbling in arctic conditions until O’Sullivan and McCabe salvaged a tie with the skipper’s excellent 66th minute equalizer Martina Surnovska’s goal caused all sorts of trouble.
“If people go ahead and think they can run out of the organisation, that’s what you get,” Pauw told RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue. “We have to learn that you can’t just do your own thing.” Days later, the coach returned to this stormy teacup by stating that he was not referring to the Irish captain: “Katie was the only one there.”
Ireland were lucky to avoid defeat as Brosnan’s mistake gave Laura Zemberyová an open goal attempt – Quinn miraculously cleared the line.
Ireland: Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy; O’Gorman (Littlejohn 70), Finn, Connolly, O’Sullivan, McCabe; Lucy Quinn (Carusa 84), Payne.
Ireland 11-0 Georgia
[O’Sullivan 3, McCabe 2, Carusa, Lucy Quinn, Noonan, Barrett, Caldwell, Bebia og]
Tallaght Stadium
Participants: 3522
McCabe named O’Sullivan man of the match despite his hat-trick as the record score rained down on a very young crowd.
“Goals can be a huge, huge step towards competence,” said Pauw. “They give us a buffer.”
Ireland: Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, Caldwell; Ziu (Barrett 75), Littlejohn, Connolly, McCabe; O’Sullivan, Lucy Quinn (McLaughlin 67); Carusa (Noonan 75).
April 2022
Sweden 1-1 Ireland
[McCabe]
Participants: 12,123
Old and new memories rolled together. Next to the Ullevi tarmac where Sonia O’Sullivan won the 5,000m gold medal at the 1995 World Championships, Katie McCabe’s wildly bent strike forced the best of a Swedish team with talent from Barcelona, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real. Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
With eleven minutes remaining, AC Milan striker Kosovare Asllani finally beat Brosnan, who produced the performance of his dreams, in what proved to be a fair if surprising result.
“We’re Irish,” declared Megan Connolly. “We’re going to fight until the end. We’re going to leave everything on the pitch to accept the result.
Three months later, Sweden advanced to the EC semi-finals, but England won it 4-0.
Ireland: Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, Louise Quinn, Connolly, Mustaki; Lucy Quinn, O’Sullivan, Littlejohn, McCabe; Payne (Kiernan 74).
Big picture: “I’ve noticed in the women’s game that you’re sure you’re aware if you go through the patterns that when a team concedes a goal they concede another in a very short period of time, across the spectrum of the women’s game,” said Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels, “because the girls and women are more emotional than men. So they don’t take the goal very well.”
Shiels’ subsequent swift apology found a global audience. .
June 2022
Georgia 0-9 Ireland
[McCabe 3, Louise Quinn 2, Fahey, Larkin, O’Sullivan, Connolly]
Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Gori
Postponed to October 2021 due to Covid restrictions, McCabe-inspired Ireland came, saw and conquered Georgia’s steep, fit only for reckless fouling. Seventeen-year-old Abbie Larkin recorded the first of many international goals.
“Let’s finish it now,” said Pauw before the “final” against Finland.
Ireland: Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, Caldwell; Payne (Lucy Quinn 62), Connolly, Littlejohn (Agg 62), McCabe; O’Sullivan, Ziu; Barrett (Larkin 62).
Big picture: “They ruined my life,” said Pauw of the Dutch football association KVNB, before the male coach denied raping her in 1986. “I’m doing this for myself to take away some of the pain, even though he’s gone. [prosecuted].”
September 2022
Ireland 1-0 Finland
[Agg]
Tallaght Stadium
Participants: 6,952
“Through the head of an English woman!” roared McCabe on the rampage after Lily Agg’s 54th-minute goal when Connolly was free calmed collective nerves.
“This team has been through a lot,” said O’Sullivan. “We’ve absolutely grown as a team since 2017 at Liberty Hall and it’s incredible to see it all pay off tonight. When the final whistle went, I just dropped to my knees and a few tears came. I hugged Katie, it’s because of all the work we did. I can’t describe it. Ireland turned out for us tonight, you can really feel the energy, thanks to them. We have a long way to go. We’re enjoying tonight, but we’re back to work tomorrow.
“A few years ago, we couldn’t have done this. Finland is a very good side, so to get six points shows how much we’ve grown, it’s incredible. It gets us very ready for these playoffs.”
Ireland face Slovakia on Tuesday in Senec, with a play-off against yet-to-be-determined opposition in October.
“We’re not afraid of anybody,” said O’Sullivan.
The draw will take place next Friday, September 9.