REPUBLIC OF IRELAND manager Vera Pauw has named an extended 30-woman squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifier against Germany.
The squad – which will be trimmed to 23 players ahead of the game in Essen on 19 September – features two new call-ups.
Midfielder Ellen Molloy, who hails from Kilkenny, has been included after impressing while on duty with Wexford Youths and the Ireland U17s.
The other new face is Texas-born midfielder Alli Murphy, who recently moved to the English Championship by joining Lisa Fallon’s London City Lionesses.
The 26-year-old, whose grandparents are Irish, played for Houston Dash in the NWSL before having spells in Sweden, the Netherlands and Iceland.
“It is great to be back preparing for international games again and to continue our goal of qualifying for the European Championships,” Vera Pauw said. “We will travel to Germany knowing that we will face a difficult opponent, but that is part of competing at this level.
“Germany are one of the best teams in world football and we’ve seen their club teams, particularly Wolfsburg, perform so well in the Uefa Women’s Champions League of late, so we know what to expect and we have to be ready to play our best game.
“With our players possibly coming from nine different countries, we remain mindful of the protocols in place to deal with Covid-19 and it’s important that we adhere to all medical advice around this game. This pandemic is not yet over and we must work together to fight it.”
Having taken four wins and a draw from their opening five qualifiers, Ireland sit atop Group I with a one-point advantage over Germany, although next month’s opponents have a game in hand.
Due to the impact of Covid-19, the 2021 European Championships have been pushed back to July 2022.
Republic of Ireland squad to play Germany
Goalkeepers: Marie Hourihan (SC Braga), Grace Moloney (Reading), Courtney Brosnan (West Ham United), Niamh Reid Burke (Peamount United)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Keeva Keenan (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Fiorentina), Diane Caldwell (SC Sand), Claire O’Riordan (MSV Duisburg), Claire Walsh (Peamount United), Aine O’Gorman (Peamount United), Isibeal Atkinson (Shelbourne)
Midfielders: Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Jamie Finn (Shelbourne), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Alli Murphy (London City Lionesses), Niamh Farrelly (Peamount United), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), Jessica Ziu (Shelbourne), Ruesha Littlejohn (Leicester City), Ellen Molloy (Wexford Youths), Stephanie Roche (Peamount United)
Forwards: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Heather Payne (Florida State University), Leanne Kiernan (West Ham United), Amber Barrett (FC Koln), Rianna Jarrett (Brighton & Hove Albion), Julie-Ann Russell (Sydney University), Kyra Carusa (HB Hoge)
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