Greece
Republic of Ireland
Gibraltar
France 1
Latvia 2
Zambia
Scotland 0
Slovakia 0
Germany 2 - 0 Republic of Ireland
Battling Irish push Germany all the way
After conceding two disappointing goals in a six minute spell midway through the first half the Irish regrouped, kept the free-scoring Germans scoreless for the rest of the game and almost got the goal their second-half performance deserved when Louise Quinn headed narrowly wide.
After the game, Ireland manager Sue Ronan said: “It is a strange feeling to be disappointed after losing 2-0 to Germany in Germany but that’s how we feel. We were poor in the first half and conceded what we would feel were two sloppy goals. But we regrouped at half-time and got on the ball in the second half and posed them a lot of questions. We defended much better and it would have been interesting if we had managed to pull a goal back.
“It’s been a good campaign. We are disappointed we didn’t get second place because that was our objective but we have ended up with a record number of points, six clean-sheets and a group of players that have the potential to have a real go at trying to qualify for Euro 2017. “
The opening German goal after 26 minutes came, ironically, from Ireland’s best chance of the first half. A Megan Campbell free-kick on the edge of the German penalty area failed to beat the wall and when Julie Ann Russell’s effort from the rebound was charged down the home side swept forward on the counter-attack, catching the Irish out. The move ended with Melanie Behringer sweeping the ball past Byrne from 12 metres.
It was a disappointing goal to concede and worse was to follow six minutes later. Behringer shanked a shot across the face of the penalty area and Anja MIttag showed tremendous skill and composure in meeting the ball with a crisp volley that she blasted past Byrne into the roof of the net.
The Irish regrouped after that and after the break played much better, posing a much greater threat to the German defence. Louise Quinn went close to pulling a goal back when she headed a Megan Campbell free-kick just past the post with German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer at full stretch. The Germans had chances to add to their total but found the Irish defence hard to break down and when they did Emma Byrne produced some excellent saves to deny them.
The Germans now head to the World Cup in Canada next summer while the Irish can begin their preparations for the Euro 2017 with optimism and will eagerly await the draw on April 13.
Republic of Ireland: Emma Byrne (Arsenal); Áine O’Gorman (UCD Waves), Louise Quinn (Eskilstuna United), Niamh Fahey (Arsenal), Karen Duggan (UCD Waves); Shannon Smyth (Amazon Grimstad). Dora Gorman (UCD Waves), Megan Campbell (Florida State University), Ruesha Littlejohn (Sandviken), Fiona O’Sullivan (Notts County), Julie Ann Russell (UCD Waves). Subs: Denise O’Sullivan (Glasgow City) for F O’Sullivan (64), Stephanie Roche (ASPTT Albi) for Russell (72), Sophie Perry (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Littlejohn (90). Unused subs: Denise O’Sullivan (Glasgow City); Niamh Reid-Burke (Raheny United), Meabh de Burca (Galway WFC), Ciara Grant (UCD Waves), Rachel Graham (Raheny United).
Germany: Angerern (GK) (C), Peter, Krahn, Kemme, Laudehr (Faisst 46), Behringer, Marozsán, Hendrich, Leupolz (Henning (69), Mittag, Šašić (Bajramaj 46).
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine).
Ireland set for German test
The Germans captured the group, and a place in next summer’s World Cup finals in Canada, with a 4-1 on Saturday over Russia in Moscow, a result that slightly opens the door for Ireland to finish in second place.
For that to happen Ireland need to beat Germany, a result that would send shockwaves around the football world, and improving Croatia need to beat Russia as a draw would be good enough for the Russians to pip the Irish for runners-up spot based on the head to head.
But, while Ireland can come second, they cannot reach the play-offs. Only four teams will play-off for the right to join the seven group winners at the World Cup finals and this will be decided on the results of the second placed teams against the sides in their group finishing in 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th places. The two points Ireland dropped in drawing 1-1 away to Croatia have come back to haunt them as the sixth seeds in Group 1 will finish the group in fourth place.
As World No.2 and European champions, Germany don’t lose many competitive games and are currently on a run of 12 straight competitive wins since their 1-0 defeat by Norway in their final group game of Euro ’13. The big motivation for Silvia Neid and her team today is make it 10 wins from 10 games in the group, a feat denied to them in qualifying for Euro ’13 when Spain held them to a draw.
With 17 points from nine games Sue Ronan’s side have already gathered their best haul in a World Cup qualifying campaign, easily surpassing the 13 accumulated in the 2011 campaign. They have also kept an impressive six clean-sheets and come into this game without conceding a goal in last 407 minutes of action.
Today’s game will bring back memories of last April in Tallaght when Ireland almost recorded their greatest ever result in Women’s football. They eventually lost 3-2 to a fluke goal in injury time having led 1-0 for over an hour and bounced back to equalise in the 88th minute after Germany had gone 2-1 in front.
After their win on Saturday in Slovakia, the squad flew to Germany on Sunday and have spent the week preparing for today’s game on the banks of Danube in Ulm. Raheny United winger Siobhan Killeen has been ruled out because of concussion and will be replaced in squad by clubmate Rachel Graham while Niamh Fahey will undergo a late fitness on the knee injury she picked up on Saturday.
Sue Ronan won’t name her team until just before the game but, no matter what happens today in Heidenheim, the squad can look back on a job well done and look forward to the Euro 2017 with a lot more optimism.
SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Emma Byrne (Arsenal), Niamh Reid-Burke (Raheny United). Defenders: Áine O’Gorman (UCD Waves), Sophie Perry (Brighton & Hove Albion), Meabh de Burca (Galway WFC), Louise Quinn (Eskilstuna United), Niamh Fahey (Arsenal), Karen Duggan (UCD Waves), Megan Campbell (Florida State University). Midfielders: Julie Ann Russell (UCD Waves), Rachel Graham (Raheny United), Dora Gorman (UCD Waves), Ciara Grant (UCD Waves), Shannon Smyth (Amazon Grimstad). Forwards: Fiona O’Sullivan (Notts County), Denise O’Sullivan (Glasgow City), Stephanie Roche (ASPTT Albi), Ruesha Littlejohn (Sandviken).
Tactical Lineups
Germany
Substitutes
- 12 Almuth Schult (G)
- 3 Josephine Henning
- 8 Verena Faisst
- 17 Isabelle Linden
- 18 Svenja Huth
- 19 Fatmire Alushi
- 21 Laura Benkarth (G)
Coach
Silvia Neid
Republic of Ireland
Substitutes
Coach
Susan Ronan
Officials
- Referee Kateryna Monzul
- Assistant Referees Natalia Rachynska
- UEFA Delegate Camelia Nicolae
- Assistant Referee Two Maryna Striletska
- Fourth Official Angelika Soeder
- Referee Observer Marcel Van Elshocht
Match Statistics
- Germany
- Republic of Ireland
Minute by Minute Commentary