Do not adjust your TV sets: the Ireland victory no one got to watch

Republic of Ireland 2 Poland 1

The “can’t see, can’t be” argument has never rang more true.

"Note: live stream failure is due to local supplier," tweeted the Football Association of Ireland, 15 minutes into Niamh Fahey's 100th cap for Ireland. "Working on addressing the issues."

The Liverpool skipper's milestone should have dominated the narrative around this hastily pitched Pinatar Cup, which at least provides Katie McCabe's team with three competitive games ahead of April's crucial World Cup qualifier in Sweden.

Ireland’s Louise Quinn and Lucy Quinn celebrate after their win. Photograph: Martin Seras Lima/Inpho

A sporting body, at pains to convince an understandably sceptical public that the haphazard ways of the past two decades are no more, can only be taken as seriously as it takes itself. The FAI also tweeted a link to a Polish streaming site which people living in Ireland are geo-blocked from viewing.

Anyway, here follows a blind account of Ireland versus Poland from La Manga, Spain. The Quinns – Lucy and Louise – scored the goals as Ireland came from behind to win and set up a semi-final against Russia on Saturday. The Russians beat Hungary on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

“A positive first period for Ireland with some good patterns of play,” noted the FAI after 45 minutes. “If game ends scoreless, it will go straight to a penalty shootout.”

What a spectacle those spot kicks would prove not to be. What makes it very difficult to take this tournament seriously is the failure to make either coach or captain or anyone available for post-match interview.

The recent victory in Finland, and 11-0 thumping of Georgia, has forced everyone, from Ireland’s opponents to their own governing body, to take McCabe’s team seriously. The failure to broadcast this match shows that genuine progress can so easily stall. Or to put it another way, in these days of the FAI signalling strident moves towards equality, would this have happened to the senior men’s side?

Nothing to see here.