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The loss to Germany today in Essen cost Ireland their unbeaten record in the Euro 2022 campaign and first place, but they will still head to Ukraine next month full of confidence.
Eight-time champions Germany scored all three of their first-half goals through Marina Hegering, Dzsenifer Marozsan and Lea Schüller, while limiting Ireland to just a couple of set pieces.
Ireland coach Vera Pauw tempered expectations beforehand, arguing that a result against the team that had bagged 31 goals without conceding so far this season was unrealistic. Still, it will take a lot of positives heading into the last couple of games.
Once Ireland avoid defeat in Kiev on October 23, they will be guaranteed to finish second in the group.
The top three runners-up from the nine groups qualify directly for the delayed final in 2022 in England, with the rest going to the play-offs. Ireland will conclude the campaign by hosting Germany at the Tallaght Stadium on December 1.
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September 19, 2020; Katie McCabe of the Republic of Ireland in action against Giulia Gwinn, left, and Lea Schüller of Germany during the 2021 UEFA European Women’s Championship Qualifier Group I match between Germany and the Republic of Ireland at Stadion Essen in Essen, Germany. Photo by Marcel Kusch / Sportsfile
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Marie Hourihan regained her place in goal after being last eliminated six months ago in Montenegro, while Diane Caldwell moved to the right back.
Accommodating Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey and Caldwell often influenced Ireland’s coaches to deploy wingers, but solidity was the priority for this task.
Even without Sara Doorsoun and Almuth Schult, Germany’s coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was able to name four members of the Champions League finalists VfL Wolfsburg to her starting team.
Odds were always going to be a rarity for Ireland, but they may regret missing one in six minutes before the hosts took over.
Leanne Kiernan’s pace on the fast break led to a corner from which Katie McCabe took Caldwell out. Unfortunately for the Bundesliga player, her error in judgment meant the ball hit her shoulder instead of her head.
A corner at the other end moments later saw Germany ahead. Hegering perfectly read Dzsenifer Marozsan’s delivery to lift off Louise Quinn and guide her header into the near post with a bullet header.
Quinn had a chance to atone in two minutes by getting up to meet Megan Connolly’s corner, but couldn’t keep her head down.
Ireland began to live on the edge, leaving Schüller unmarked to drag a shot past the near post. Alexandra Popp twice came close to adding to her streak of 53 international goals, firing a free kick that Hourihan kept up before heading wide from a corner.
Hourihan had to alert again to prevent Connolly from scoring an own goal and they survived another scare when unattended Giulia Gwinn scraped her shot from close range.
Operating at halftime was Ireland’s best hope, outside of set pieces, and Kiernan squandered a great opportunity to free Rianna Jarrett in the 35th minute.
It could have been a turning point, as Germany soon scored twice in three minutes to end the tie.
Kathrin Hendrich started the move for the second goal in the 38th minute, cutting inside to find Marozsan. The Lyon midfielder still had a lot to do, but a quick exchange of passes with Leupolz on the edge of the box produced a shot on goal that she happily carried with a left foot curler into the upper corner.
If that goal was not avoidable, the third shortly after certainly was. When Ireland only half cleared a left cross, Schüller was left alone 10 yards to cut her volley past Hourihane and into the post.
The Ireland goalkeeper then made a wonderful save with her Popp legs to avoid further damage heading into the break, but settled in in the second half to avoid a complete cover-up.
Of course, they were lucky that Germany didn’t punish Áine O’Gorman and Kiernan’s loose backward passes, but overall they were more composed on possession. However, Merle Frohms in the German goal managed to pass the other half without having to make a save.
Germany: M Frohms (Eintracht Frankfurt); K Hendrich (VfL Wolfsburg), M Hegering (Bayern Munich), L Oberdorf (VfL Wolfsburg), G Gwinn (Bayern Munich); L Magull (Bayern Munich), D Marozsan (Olympique Lyon), M Leupolz (Chelsea); S Huth (VfL Wolfsburg), A Popp (VfL Wolfsburg), L Schüller (Bayern Munich). Subs: L Maier (Arsenal) for Gwinn (35), S Däbritz (PSG) for Leupolz (63), S Lohmann (Bayern Munich) for Marozsan (80).
Ireland: M Hourihan (SC Braga); D Caldwell (SC Sand), L Quinn (Fiorentina), N Fahey (Liverpool), Á O’Gorman (Peamount United); M Connolly (Brighton and Hove Albion), R Littlejohn (Leicester City), D O’Sullivan (Brighton and Hove Albion); K McCabe (Arsenal), R Jarrett (Brighton & Hove Albion), L Kiernan (West Ham United). Sub: H Payne (Florida State University) for Kiernan (63).
Referee: Monika Mularczyk (Poland)
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