Carla Ward has hailed Ireland’s gritty 1-0 win over a stubborn Poland side as ‘a proper Irish performance’ in that they had to dig deep at times, but she also praised her players’ ability to absorb information as key to how the team have grown in this campaign.
‘That’s what you’d call a proper Irish performance; you have to dig deep, you have to defend in a slightly different way. We knew they’d be slightly different and what was quite pleasing was that what we believed they would change, they did, so we prepared for that and adapted for that. That was important,’ she said.
‘How the girls executed the game plan in the last two games has been nothing short of sensational. They take messages on and they deliver it in a way like no group I’ve ever worked with.’
Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
Ward felt that Marissa Sheva’s goal just before the interval eased tension and the edginess of the performance.
‘I think at half-time we said, ‘Breathe, be calmer on the ball’. I think it was edgy, the first-half, but that goal before half-time really helped us settle. This group is just such a joy to work with, they really are, and again they deserve an awful lot of credit.’
Denise O’Sullivan gave another powerhouse performance in midfield, although the manager said that she is running out of superlatives for the Cork woman.
Ireland’s Denise O’Sullivan has a shot at goal. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
‘Sensational. She [O’Sullivan] is on a different level. She has been sensational these last two games. I’m glad you said that, because after the first game I thought it was the best performance I’d ever seen her produce in an Ireland shirt, and she topped that tonight.’
The one blot on a fine afternoon was the first-half booking that O’Sullivan picked up, which will rule her out of the match against the Netherlands in Pairc Uí Chaoimh on Jun 5th.
‘It’s frustrating that I’m missing the game, of course, given it’s in Cork. It’s a massive game for the team so of course I’m really gutted,’ said O’Sullivan after picking up yet another player of the match award.
Ireland celebrate after scoring their first goal. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
‘Look, it is what it is. It’s part of football, it happens. Take the positives, and that’s the three points tonight. I’m sure I’ll be there cheering the girls on in Cork. I trust them, I trust the staff that they’re going to go out and do everything in their power to get something in those games. Keeping my head up, it is what it is. That’s the mentality.’
On her 131st game for her country, O’Sullivan almost adorned it with a wonder goal, twice playing the ball over the head of the defender before her shot clattered the crossbar.
‘Yeah, I’m gutted. It is what it is. I wish it went in, but I’m confident right now. You can see that in the box, I’m really enjoying this team. It comes from the people around me giving me that confidence and that belief – Carla, the staff, the girls. I’m really valued in here. I think when you’re really valued and believed in as a player, I think it comes through in your performances.’
Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
O’Sullivan felt the team were in control for the entire match and that comes from the belief that Ward has instilled in the team.
‘Carla has instilled a lot of belief in us. We spoke the other night after the game when we gave up those two goals. She just said we need to really focus, we need to reset and not concede. So I think having that mentality going into the game tonight, to really not concede, and be really focused in the last 10, 15 minutes of the game. She has instilled a lot of confidence in the team.
‘Coming into this camp, the only goal was six points. We spoke about it the whole way through the camp. I think when you speak about it with each other and put that belief in each other and Carla put that belief in the team that we are going to get the six points from this team … we set out to do that and we succeeded.’