Above: The Ireland squad who defeated Greece 4-0. Photo: Ireland Football.
Greece 0-4 Republic of Ireland
by Alyce Collett (4/4/25)
The Republic of Ireland’s Nations League campaign is back on track after an emphatic 4-0 win over Greece this afternoon.
Second half goals to Marissa Sheva, Kyra Carusa, Jessie Stapletonand Amber Barrett saw the Irish completely eliminate the damage done to their goal difference in the last match and bag the three points.
It was a free flowing match to begin with, with the ball freely moving end to end. However Greece did look more dangerous in attack early, with the home side able to use speed and space much better than their visitors.
However as the half progressed, the Republic of Ireland started to warm up a little and things started to come together better in attack, with players like Ruesha Littlejohn, Denise O’Sullivan and Leanne Kiernan starting to threaten in attack.
But the Greek threat was not going away, with the likes of Eleni Saich and Anastasia Spyridonidou not afraid to use their speed and shoot from distance. Goalkeeper Zoi Nasi was also really keeping her side in the match with some strong and brave saves.
The other thing that was letting Ireland down was passing accuracy in midfield in transition from the middle third into the final third. The passes were not coming with the usual polish that has come to be expected from the team.
The score was ultimately goalless at half time, but with all things considered the home side would have been the happier camp at the break.
The Republic of Ireland started with strong intent in the second half, and finally got some reward for effort with a goal within the first five minutes of the half from Sheva. Sheva – who had only been on the pitch mere minutes – let a shot rip from outside the penalty box, and although it did take a deflection on the way into the back of the net, no one in an Irish shirt was complaining.
Whatever the Irish manager Carla Ward said to her troops at half time worked, because the visitors had renewed sense of energy in their play, and the goal just added more pep in their already re-energised step.
The Republic of Ireland found a second goal 10 minutes later when Carusa tapped the ball into the back of the net after Kiernan’s initial conversion attempt of Katie McCabe’s cross was blocked.
The visitors were really starting to play like their old selves again, and were rewarded with a third goal about 10 minutes after their second, when Stapleton headed the ball into the back of the net to convert a McCabe corner.
The Irish were not done scoring though, with Barrett completing the scoring with less than a minute left in the match. She struck one in the bottom corner and into the back of the net after having sprinted down half the pitch to cap off her 50th appearance for the national team in style.
Teams: GREECE (3-5-2): Nasi, Palama, Markou, Gkouni, Ntarzanou, Saich, Sarri, Moraitou, Mitkou, Papatheodorou, Spyridonidou. Substitutes: Giannakouli, Peiou, Kapnisi, Georgiou, Kakabouki, Koskeridou, Petaloti, Gkatsou, Kotsaki, Koggouli, Paterna, Chamalidou.
IRELAND (4-3-3): Brosnan, Campbell, Stapleton, Patten, Mannion, O’Sullivan, Toland, Littlejohn, Quinn, Carusa, Kiernan. Substitutes: Hayes, Barrett, McCabe, Clancy, Sheva, Moloney, Noonan, Larkin, Murphy, Mustaki, Whitehouse.
Scorers: Sheva 49’, Carusa 61’, Stapleton 74, Barrett 90+3’.
Referee: Jelena Pejković (CRO).
Attendance: 550.
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