by Morganna King 10/04/24
photo: Ireland Football
The Republic of Ireland met England for the first time competitively in nearly 40 years at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The game saw England dominating possession and coming away with a 2-0 victory.
Ireland are yet to come away with a win in their Euro Qualifying campaign since being promoted to League A of the Uefa Women’s Nations League. Their last match ended in a close 1-0 defeat to opponents France. England however, can claim this as their first win in the campaign since their 1-1 draw to World Cup bronze medalists Sweden at Wembley stadium on Friday.
Eileen Gleeson went for a 4-3-2-1 formation with San Diego Wave forward Kyra Carusa as the lone centre-foward up front, who is known for her effective hold-up play. On the other hand, Sarina Wiegman adopted a 4-3-3 formation, selecting a front three of Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo and Lauren James whose technical ability and speed outshined on the right wing.
Chelsea forward Lauren James’ early goal in the 12th minute set the momentum for the first half. England dominated possession and used their high press to their advantage, leaving no room for mistakes in the Irish backline.
Lauren James scores for England. Photo: Lionesses
A handball decision in the 18th minute saw England lined up to take a penalty. With resident penalty taker Georgia Stanway on the bench, Alex Greenwood stepped up to coolly slot the ball past Courtney Brosnan, putting the lionesses in the lead.
Shortly after this, another penalty was conceded due to a handball by Louise Quinn in the penalty area. Greenwood once again stepped up to the spot but her attempt hit the post and kept the scoreline at 2-0.
In the second half, the first substitution saw Megan Connolly replace Ruesha Littlejohn in midfield. This was followed by a double substitution for England with Fran Kirby and Beth Mead replacing Lauren Hemp and Jess Park. Ireland made a triple substitution in the 61st minute to bring on Leanne Kiernan, Megan Campbell and Emily Murphy.
Leanne Kiernan made an immediate impact off the bench, utilising her pace and technical ability to outpace defenders. Megan Campbell added to Ireland’s threat in the box with her long range throw ins. Unfortunately despite these changes, Ireland couldn’t seem to put away any of their chances.
Alessia Russo and Anna Patten battle it out. Photo: Ireland Football
England had to fight a lot harder in the second half in order to not concede, coming out on top with the majority of their one-v-ones. Towards the end of the second half, Irish centre-back Louise Quinn was placed up front to try and utilise her height to Ireland’s advantage, but England’s defence held out well.
Although Hannah Hampton wasn’t faced with many shots to save, her precise distribution proved to be useful in all aspects of England’s gameplay. In addition to this, Lionesses captain Leah Williamson returned to her starting position after a year out with an ACL injury. This was accompanied by a dominant display as centre-back where she added to a solid defensive line.
Keira Walsh was a standout player in midfield, deservedly earning herself England player of the match. Republic of Ireland’s player of the match award went to skipper Katie McCabe but some honourable mentions in their squad go to Aoife Mannion, Leanne Kiernan and Megan Campbell.
Overall, England proved to be the better side, which is to be expected considering their high world ranking. However, it wasn’t without a fight and Ireland should be proud of the performance they put on in front of the home crowd. It’s sure to be said that they will take a lot of positives away from this game and make improvements which will help them navigate the Euro Qualification “group of death”.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (4-3-2-1) Brosnan, Quinn, Hayes, Littlejohn, O’sullivan, McCabe, Patten, Mannion, Payne, L.Quinn, Carusa
ENGLAND (4-3-3) Hampton, Bronze, Carter, Walsh, Williamson, Greenwood, James, Park, Russo, Toone, Hemp
Goalscorers: L. James 12’ , A.Greenwood 18’ (Pen)
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara
Attendance: 32,742
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