Next comes the moon landing. That’s how far away a World Cup always seemed, until now.
From delayed start to grandstand finish, Ireland’s valiant effort to qualify for a major tournament has provided ground-breaking nights, ecstatic huddles and a harrowing personal journey.
It has been about Vera as much as it is about Katie and Denise plundering the goals to escape decades of despair. It has been about results. In Helsinki and Gothenburg. And Tallaght nights. Glorious, screeching Tallaght nights.
It has been about Courtney Brosnan’s unseen tutorials with goalkeeping coach Jan Willem van Ede and her seen heroics in the shadow of Sonia O’Sullivan’s eternal moment at the Ullevi stadium. It has been about Louise, the mighty Quinn, towering above the rest.
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It has never been about equal pay. Or the snail’s pace of the FAI in filling a women’s strategic committee as they admittedly fail to populate their governing board with female voices.
It has been about sacrifice. Unforgiving, individual sacrifice.
“We don’t get the money that the men get, where they can pick up and go and bring their family,” explained Quinn of a club career in Sweden, Italy, north London and now Birmingham, just to scrape a living.
“You have to do your dream job away from your most loved ones.”
It has been about historical revelations by women who existed under the threat of mental and physical abuse in the work place.
“It is all over the world and it happens on a daily basis,” stated Ireland coach Vera Pauw after allegations of sexual coercion were levelled at North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley last year.
“Here in Ireland we are safe. There is a safe environment. You feel that also in the squad. But anywhere there have been players [they] have had these kinds of experiences.”
Riley denied the allegations.
Last July, NRC newspaper in the Netherlands published a 6,000 word interview with Pauw detailing rape and two separate incidents of “sexually transgressive behaviour” by three men who worked within Dutch football between 1986 and 1997.
Pauw’s time in Ireland has been about the philosophy of “football periodisation”. It has been about ruthless commitment to a system that, evidently, works.
The uprising began by smashing a seven-game losing streak in September 2021 as Australia were overrun 3-2 in Tallaght.
“What a bunch of tigers we have,” said Pauw. “We know now that we are on the right way and we will go our own path.”
World Cup qualification campaign, Group A
October 2021
Ireland 0-1 Sweden
Tallaght Stadium
Attendance: 4,017*
No. 2 in world versus No. 33, Ireland almost snatched a point. The own goal was cruel; Stina Blackstenius ran onto Filippa Angeldal’s ball to score off Quinn’s heel.
“We are stepping up and getting closer and closer,” said Pauw. “It is such a shame that for one moment of organisation, when we did not link up.”
Ireland: Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy, O’Gorman; Lucy Quinn (Barrett 74), Connolly (Noonan 90), O’Sullivan, McCabe; Payne (Kiernan 74).
Big picture: As the squad gathered in Dublin, Pauw vaguely mentioned her own personal experiences following The Athletic publishing detailed accusations of abuse by Riley. “In Ireland I have never experienced anything like that, yet,” she said. “And I hope it keeps like that. In every other country I have experienced it. Everywhere where I have coached.” Pauw previously worked in Holland, South Africa, Russia, Scotland, Thailand and Houston.
Finland 1-2 Ireland
[Connolly, O’Sullivan]
Olympic Stadium, Helsinki
Connolly’s curling free-kick was cancelled out by Andelina Engman’s controversial goal, scored when the constantly hacked McCabe was receiving treatment, before the outstanding O’Sullivan headed a late winner. There were so many ‘did-you-see-that’ moments but Heather Payne beating three Finns to force a corner and then sprinting 90 metres to slide-tackle Natalia Kuikka summed up the collective attitude.
“It becomes our mantra: never collapse, never give up, stay in control,” said Pauw. “Keep playing your game plan whatever happens on the pitch.”
Ireland: Brosnan; O’Gorman, Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy, McCabe; Connolly, O’Sullivan, Finn; Lucy Quinn (Jarrett 74), Payne.
Big picture: “I am gutted to lose her, I respect her so much,” said Pauw of assistant coach Eileen Gleeson becoming Glasgow City manager. “We say everything we want to each other without losing each other.”
November 2021
Ireland 1-1 Slovakia
[McCabe]
Tallaght Stadium
Attendance: 5,154
No 33 versus No 45 in the Fifa rankings, Ireland stumble in arctic conditions, until O’Sullivan and McCabe combine to salvage a draw with the skipper’s excellent 66th minute equaliser after Martina Surnovska’s goal caused all sorts of bother.
“If individuals are going forward and think they can run out of the organisation, this is what you get,” Pauw told RTÉ's Tony O’Donoghue. “We have to learn that you cannot just do your own thing.” Days later the coach returned to this stormy teacup by stating she was not referring to the Irish captain: “Katie was the only one in position actually.”
Ireland were lucky to avaoid a defeat as a Brosnan error gifted Laura Zemberyová an open goal attempt – Quinn miraculously cleared off the line.
Ireland: Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, McCarthy; O’Gorman (Littlejohn 70), Finn, Connolly, O’Sullivan, McCabe; Lucy Quinn (Carusa 84), Payne.
Ireland 11-0 Georgia
[O’Sullivan 3, McCabe 2, Carusa, Lucy Quinn, Noonan, Barrett, Caldwell, Bebia og]
Tallaght Stadium
Attendance: 3,522
McCabe pips O’Sullivan to player of the match, despite the latter’s hat-trick, as a record score rained down on an extremely young crowd.
“The goals can be a huge, huge step towards qualification,” said Pauw. “They give us a buffer.”
Ireland: Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, Caldwell; Ziu (Barrett 75), Littlejohn, Connolly, McCabe; O’Sullivan, Lucy Quinn (McLaughlin 67); Carusa (Noonan 75).
April 2022
Sweden 1-1 Ireland
[McCabe]
Attendance: 12,123
Old and new memories rolled into one. Next door to the Ullevi asphalt, where Sonia O’Sullivan won the 5,000 metre gold medal at the 1995 World Championships, Katie McCabe’s wildly deflected strike forced the best from a Swedish side stacked with talent from Barcelona, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Eleven minutes from the end AC Milan striker Kosovare Asllani finally beat Brosnan, who produced the performance of her dreams, in what proved a fair if surprising result.
“We are Irish,” Megan Connolly declared. “We are going to fight to the very end. We leave everything on the pitch, so we can accept the result.”
Three months later Sweden reached the Euros semi-final only to be trounced 4-0 by England.
Ireland: Brosnan; Finn, Fahey, Louise Quinn, Connolly, Mustaki; Lucy Quinn, O’Sullivan, Littlejohn, McCabe; Payne (Kiernan 74).
Big picture: “In the women’s game, I’ve noticed, as I’m sure you’re aware if you go through the patterns, when a team concedes a goal they concede a second one within a very short period of time, right through the whole spectrum of the women’s game” said Northern Ireland manager Kenny Shiels, “because girls and women are more emotional than men. So, they don’t take a goal going in very well.”
Shiels’s subsequent prompt apology found a global audience. .
June 2022
Georgia 0-9 Ireland
[McCabe 3, Louise Quinn 2, Fahey, Larkin, O’Sullivan, Connolly]
Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Gori
Rescheduled from October 2021, due to Covid restrictions, a McCabe-inspired Ireland came, saw and conquered a Georgia rabble only good for reckless fouling. Seventeen-year-old Abbie Larkin registered the first of many international goals.
“Let’s finish it off now,” said Pauw ahead of a “final” against Finland.
Ireland: Brosnan; Fahey, Louise Quinn, Caldwell; Payne (Lucy Quinn 62), Connolly, Littlejohn (Agg 62), McCabe; O’Sullivan, Ziu; Barrett (Larkin 62).
Big picture: “They ruined my life,” said Pauw of the Dutch football federation KVNB before a male coach denied raping her in 1986. “I’m doing this for myself, to take away some of the pain, even if he will no longer be [prosecuted].”
September 2022
Ireland 1-0 Finland
[Agg]
Tallaght Stadium
Attendance: 6,952
“By the head of an English woman!” roars McCabe in the huddle after Lily Agg’s 54th minute goal, off a lofted Connolly free, calmed the collective nerves.
“This team has been through a lot,” said O’Sullivan. “We have absolutely grown as a team since 2017 in Liberty Hall and for it all to pay off tonight is incredible. When the final whistle went, I just dropped to my knees and there were a few tears. I hugged Katie, it’s for all the work we put in. I can’t describe it. Ireland showed up for us tonight, you could really feel the energy, thanks to them. We have a long way to go. We’ll enjoy tonight but we’ll get back to work tomorrow.
“A few years ago, we couldn’t have done this. Finland are a very good side so to get six points shows how much we have grown, it’s unbelievable. It sets us up well going into these play-offs.”
Ireland face Slovakia on Tuesday in Senec with play-offs to follow in October against yet to be determined opposition.
“We won’t fear anyone,” said O’Sullivan.
The draw will be made next Friday, September 9th.
