CARLA WARD SAYS Ireland’s 3-2 win away to Poland was “well deserved” as they target six points in this crucial 2027 World Cup qualifying double-header.
“It was well deserved,” Ward told RTÉ. “I think for 90 minutes we were the better team. What we tried to do, and hurt them in the spaces that we wanted to, we achieved that.
“Disappointed with the two goals, of course. You know me. We’d like to have kept a clean sheet. This group of players – I say it all the time – they deserve an awful lot of credit. Three games against three top nations, we’ve competed in all three. To turn a result in tonight, away from home, in a tricky place to play, they deserve an awful lot of credit.
“I think they were impressive all over the pitch. We went in at half time, we wanted to be better in terms of controlling some spaces and I think (in the) second half we did that. How aggressive we were in our areas was really impressive. We didn’t let them breathe, and I think that was really important.
“I really hope that the girls get the praise they deserve tonight because they’ve shown now across three games how well they’ve done. We said we wanted to get over the line against these sorts of teams and they have.”
Advertisement
Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward was pleased to see her side claim a well deserved World Cup qualifying victory away to Poland, as her thoughts turn to the return fixture in Dublin on Saturday. #RTESoccer#COYGIGpic.twitter.com/c1ccJHbt82
Katie McCabe missed a penalty late on which would have made it 4-2, but her first-half wondergoal was a highlight.
“I don’t know if the camera caught my face, I think I stood still for a moment or two,” Ward beamed. “It was unbelievable, wasn’t it?
“It takes some serious world-class technique. I say it all the time, we’re blessed, we’ve got the best left-back in the world in my opinion. How she struck that ball, how she landed it, was superb.”
McCabe also spoke to RTÉ post-match, where she hailed the team performance and result but shared mixed emotions on her individual display.
“It was all about the three points for us,” the captain told Tony O’Donoghue.
“The first two games were really tough against France and Netherlands, we were close and we didn’t quite get over the line. Going into tonight, Poland are a fantastic team, so it was really important for us to get control of the ball and I think we did that really well. It was our mentality to go after them but also respect them because we know they can hurt us too.”
"It was all about the three points for us." Katie McCabe is relieved to get a World Cup qualifying win away to Poland, and grateful that her miss from the penalty spot didn't ultimately cost her side.#RTESoccer#COYGIGpic.twitter.com/Sf0gi6Tr3o
Asked about her strike, the Arsenal star continued: “For me, I’m all about just working for the team and if I can score goals along the way to help us get over the line and get three points, that’s what it’s all about.
Related Reads
Ireland best Poland in Gdańsk rollercoaster for big World Cup qualifying boost
'Aggressive' Poland and the Barcelona star Ireland must stop to spark World Cup dream
“We’ve got a lot of threat, especially on our set pieces, so second phases from corners is really important. Me and Maz [Marissa Sheva] were just kind of hugging the box . . . to be honest, I’m more disappointed about the pen I missed.
“No excuses for me. My standards, I want to be hitting the back of the net with those penalties. I’ll be quite annoyed at that one, but I was just delighted we were able to see the game out in the way we did and the impact from the bench as well was really important.”
Attention now turns to the return tie at Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon [kick-off 3pm, live on RTE 2]. Having leapfrogged Poland in the race for third-place, another win would be a major boost for Ireland as they target a seeded play-off spot.
“When we get on the bus, we’ve got to make sure that everything we do between now and then is at an absolute level – recover right, be better, make sure that every one of our behaviours is world-class,” said Ward.
“If we can do that, we’ve got a chance of going out there and getting three points. We want to take six points from this window and if we can, it puts us in a really strong position.”
McCabe added: “I just want to win on Saturday. We just need to build off this performance. We hope the fans can come out in numbers to support us in the Aviva.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'We didn't let them breathe' - Ward and 'best left-back in the world' McCabe target Poland double
CARLA WARD SAYS Ireland’s 3-2 win away to Poland was “well deserved” as they target six points in this crucial 2027 World Cup qualifying double-header.
Emily Murphy, Katie McCabe and Marissa Sheva were on target as Ireland twice held two-goal leads, and held on for an impressive win on a dire pitch in Gdańsk.
“It was well deserved,” Ward told RTÉ. “I think for 90 minutes we were the better team. What we tried to do, and hurt them in the spaces that we wanted to, we achieved that.
“Disappointed with the two goals, of course. You know me. We’d like to have kept a clean sheet. This group of players – I say it all the time – they deserve an awful lot of credit. Three games against three top nations, we’ve competed in all three. To turn a result in tonight, away from home, in a tricky place to play, they deserve an awful lot of credit.
“I think they were impressive all over the pitch. We went in at half time, we wanted to be better in terms of controlling some spaces and I think (in the) second half we did that. How aggressive we were in our areas was really impressive. We didn’t let them breathe, and I think that was really important.
“I really hope that the girls get the praise they deserve tonight because they’ve shown now across three games how well they’ve done. We said we wanted to get over the line against these sorts of teams and they have.”
Katie McCabe missed a penalty late on which would have made it 4-2, but her first-half wondergoal was a highlight.
“I don’t know if the camera caught my face, I think I stood still for a moment or two,” Ward beamed. “It was unbelievable, wasn’t it?
McCabe also spoke to RTÉ post-match, where she hailed the team performance and result but shared mixed emotions on her individual display.
“It was all about the three points for us,” the captain told Tony O’Donoghue.
“The first two games were really tough against France and Netherlands, we were close and we didn’t quite get over the line. Going into tonight, Poland are a fantastic team, so it was really important for us to get control of the ball and I think we did that really well. It was our mentality to go after them but also respect them because we know they can hurt us too.”
Asked about her strike, the Arsenal star continued: “For me, I’m all about just working for the team and if I can score goals along the way to help us get over the line and get three points, that’s what it’s all about.
“We’ve got a lot of threat, especially on our set pieces, so second phases from corners is really important. Me and Maz [Marissa Sheva] were just kind of hugging the box . . . to be honest, I’m more disappointed about the pen I missed.
Attention now turns to the return tie at Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon [kick-off 3pm, live on RTE 2]. Having leapfrogged Poland in the race for third-place, another win would be a major boost for Ireland as they target a seeded play-off spot.
“When we get on the bus, we’ve got to make sure that everything we do between now and then is at an absolute level – recover right, be better, make sure that every one of our behaviours is world-class,” said Ward.
“If we can do that, we’ve got a chance of going out there and getting three points. We want to take six points from this window and if we can, it puts us in a really strong position.”
McCabe added: “I just want to win on Saturday. We just need to build off this performance. We hope the fans can come out in numbers to support us in the Aviva.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Carla Ward Football Katie McCabe Reaction Soccer