Ireland’s Women draw in opening game of Istria Cup

“It’s disappointing not to have won after such a great performance."

Ireland’s Women draw in opening game of Istria Cup

The Ireland side that played Hungary this morning.

The Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team drew 1-1 with Hungary in their opening game at the Istria Cup in Croatia.

Ireland are one of 12 teams taking part in the week-long tournament and will also play Slovakia and Austria in Group A to determine which of the positional positions they will be playing for on March 11, the final day of the tournament.

Hungary took the lead against the run of the play when Fanni Vago converted a penalty awarded for handball, but Ruesha Littlejohn blasted home a brilliant equaliser from the edge of the box to earn a point for Ireland.

However, a point was a lot less than Ireland deserved after dominating the game from start to finish and creating the bulk of the chances on a soft and bumpy pitch. Manager Sue Ronan was delighted with the performance but frustrated her side didn’t take all three points.

Ireland manager Sue Ronan.

“It’s disappointing not to have won after such a great performance. The pitch was very bumpy and that certainly didn’t help us but we worked very hard from the beginning and on another day might have scored three or four. We showed great character in how we responded to their goal and there are plenty of positives for us to build on,” said Ronan.

Ronan handed Raheny United winger Katie McCabe her senior debut and the 19-year-old made an immediate impact when she picked out Julie Ann Russell but the UCD Waves player headed wide.

Russell then set up Denise O’Sullivan who brought out the best in the Hungarian keeper with a snap shot from six yards before McCabe was denied a debut goal when her goalbound shot was deflected past the post with the keeper stranded.

Littlejohn and Russell both went close before half-time but the sides went in level at half-time and after the break it was Ireland who continued to dominate. However they were rocked on 57 minutes when the Croatian referee adjudged that Louise Quinn had handled the ball on the edge of the box and awarded a penalty which Fanni Vago dispatched with a low drive past Emma Byrne.

The Irish continued to press forward and the introduction of another debutant, Sarah Rowe, eventually sparked the breakthrough. Within minutes of her introduction, Rowe headed the ball into the path of Ruesha Littlejohn who found the net with a spectacular drive from outside the box.

Ireland will play Slovakia in their next game on Friday.

Republic of Ireland: Emma Byrne (Arsenal): Aine O'Gorman (UCD Waves), Louise Quinn (Eskilstuna United), Diane Caldwell (Avaldsnes), Sophie Perry (Brighton & Hove Albion); Niamh Fahey (Chelsea), Meabh De Burca (Galway WFC), Denise O'Sullivan (Glasgow City): Julie Ann Russell (UCD Waves), Ruesha Littlejohn (Celtic), Katie McCabe (Raheny United).

Subs: Fiona O'Sullivan (Notts County) for Denise O’Sullivan (55 mins), Sarah Rowe (Raheny United) for Russell (69 mins). Unused Subs: Niamh Reid-Burke (Raheny United), Megan Campbell (Florida State University), Lauren Dwyer (Raheny United), Emma Beckett (Amazon Grimstad), Carol Breen (Wexford Youths Women’s AFC), Ciara Grant (UCD Waves), Megan Connolly (College Corinthians), Stephanie Roche (Houston Dash).

Hungary: Biro, Csiszar, Gal, Hummel-Smuczer (Szuh 75), Toth, Szeiti, Vago, J Zsanett (Bernadett 55), Mosdoczi, Zeller, Sipos (K Zsanett 68).

Referee: Ivana Martincic (Croatia).

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

FBL-ASIA-2023-MATCH32-IRQ-VIE Vietnam axe Troussier after Indonesia loss hits World Cup bid
Eileen Gleeson 27/2/2024 Villa defender Patten joins Eileen Gleeson's squad for Euro 2025 qualifiers
Jonathan Hill 26/3/2024 FAI 'on schedule' for April announcement of new manager
Sport Push Notifications

By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser.

Sign Up
Sport
Newsletter

Latest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited