LOUISE AND LUCY Quinn scored the goals as Vera Pauw’s Republic of Ireland opened their Pinatar Cup campaign with a 2-1 quarter-final win over Poland in Spain.
Girls In Green fans were left disappointed as there was no live-stream available to viewers on these shores, but the come-from-behind victory over a higher-ranked nation in La Manga surely softened the blow.
In what was a physical battle, Ireland went toe to toe with a team ahead of them in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings and created several patterns of play that showed they are a team constantly trying to play on the front foot.
Denise O’Sullivan had the first chance of the game when she broke in behind the Polish lines inside the opening 15 minutes but her shot was directly at goalkeeper Karolina Kalbs.
Ireland — ranked 31st in the world, with the Poles 30th — fell behind in the 49th minute, after Paulina Dudek converted a penalty.
The spot kick was awarded for a handball against Niamh Fahey; the country’s newest centurion left with a small blot on her copybook in an otherwise solid performance. The Liverpool star also marked her 100th international cap by captaining the side.
Regular skipper Katie McCabe was at the heart of the comeback, assisting both goals.
FULL-TIME | 🇮🇪 2-1 🇵🇱
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) February 16, 2022
A well-earned win for Ireland in their Pinatar Cup 🏆 opener
Goals from Lucy Quinn & Louise Quinn cancelled out a penalty from Poland 👍
Ireland will now play the winners of 🇭🇺 v 🇷🇺 on Saturday#IRLPOL | #COYGIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/E61GiVqz7k
Lucy Quinn bagged the equaliser in the 66th minute, curling in a superb left-footed shot after the Arsenal star played her through. And Quinn’s Birmingham City clubmate and namesake, Louise, sealed the win after heading home a McCabe cross 10 minutes later.
Wearing orange for the first time, Ireland held on to secure victory.
Ireland will now play the winners of Hungary and Russia — who face off later this evening — on Saturday [KO 7.30pm Irish time].
The Pinatar Cup acts as preparation for the restart of the 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign in April, when second-placed Ireland get back up and running with a trip to Group A runaway leaders Sweden.
Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Savannah McCarthy; Heather Payne (Jess Ziu 53), Ruesha Littlejohn, Megan Connolly, Katie McCabe; Lucy Quinn, Denise O’Sullivan; Kyra Carusa (Amber Barrett 82)
Poland: Karolina Kalbs; Martyną Wiankowska, Gabriela Grzywinska, Paulina Dudek, Małgorzata Mesjasz; Weronika Zawistowska, Ewelina Kamczyk, Dominika Grabowska, Zofia Buisewiska, Nikola Karczewska; Adriana Achinska.
Referee: Valentová Zuzana (Slovakia).
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