news-engine

Women’s World Cup: Spain 3 (L Vidosa, S Keenan, X Giné) Ireland 2 (H McLoughlin, N Carey) A 3-2 defeat by Spain in their opening World Cup game in Belgium on Sunday evening already leaves Ireland with a tall task to finish in the top two of their group, a placing they will need if they are to have any hope of the reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. Twice they came from behind to level the game, through goals from Hannah McLoughlin and Niamh Carey, but Xantal Giné sealed the points for Spain from a penalty corner five minutes from time. Having beaten Spain 3-1 in their last meeting, in the Pro League back in June, Ireland went in to this game with no little confidence. And with 10 of their squad now with Belgian clubs, they were on familiar enough territory. READ MORE They began well, the brighter side in a cagey opening to the first quarter, but Spain grew in to the game, upped the tempo and were well on top in the second period. They had a goal ruled out when McLoughlin was adjudged to have been on the wrong end of a stick tackle, but they kept up the pressure and finally converted it in to a lead when Laura Bosch slipped a ball in to Laia Vidosa’s path and, unchallenged, she fired low to Murphy’s left. It might well have been 2-0 a minute later, but this time an umpire’s referral resulted in Luciana Molina’s goal being disallowed due to a Spanish “swing and miss” in the circle. Ireland’s only chance of note in that first half came when Katie Mullan played a peach of a pass through to Aisling Utri on the left post, but she failed to get a clean touch on the ball. There was no end of action in the third quarter, McLoughlin levelling from Ireland’s first penalty corner of the game, Liz Murphy making a superb double save a minute later when Spain threatened to restore their lead. That they did on 38 minutes when Sofia Keenan scored from another penalty corner, but Ireland were all square again just three minutes later when Niamh Carey deflected home Róisín Upton’s corner strike. It was Giné, though, who settled the contest in the closing minutes, Ireland withdrawing their goalkeeper to play with 11 outfield players in the hope of levelling once again. It wasn’t to be, and they’re now up against it in this group if they are to get that top-two finish. Ireland’s next game is on Tuesday morning against New Zealand, who lost 5-2 to the group’s top seeds and co-hosts Belgium. That will be a must-win contest for Gareth Grundie’s side, which concludes its group campaign against the Belgians on Thursday. Ireland: E Murphy, E Curran, S McAuley, H McLoughlin, R Upton, N Carey, S Hawkshaw (capt), C Beggs, S Torrans, K Mullan, M Jennings. Subs: H Micklem, C Perdue, L Neill, M Carey, C Hamill, A Utri, E Kealy.