- Jamie Headon
- Sat, Apr 05 2014
A late winner from Melanie Leupolz denied Sue Ronan's Republic of Ireland women's team what would have been a famous draw with reigning European champions Germany at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Despite the defeat, Ronan and her player's will take great heart from what was a highly credible display against one of the women's game's superpowers.
It was Ireland who drew first blood with Louise Quinn rising high to glance home Megan Campbell’s long throw into the box to give her side a shock lead with just two minutes played. Not to be deflated by this early blow, the Germans soon began enjoying the upper hand in the possession stakes.
However, despite Germany enjoying the greater share of possession, the intensity with which the Irish pressed and harried their opponents ensured they struggled to establish any meaningful cohesion in their attacking play.
So stifling was this Irish method of resistance that the German attack were restricted to just two real first-half chances of note. The first of these came on fifteen minutes after Dzsenifer Marozan pounced on Quinn's fluffed clearance and slipped in Simone Laudehr whose shot from a narrow angle forced Irish custodian Emma Byrne to get down well to make an impressive block at her near post.
Just two minutes after Luadehr's near miss, the German's were to have a second chance at an equaliser with Lena Goessling blazing over a volley from just inside the box after being teed up by a Melanie Behringer cross.
The German's began the second period with a renewed sense of conviction marking their play with Anja Mittag and Dzsenifer Marozsan beginning to link particularly well.
Five minutes after the break, Mittag received Marozsan's lay-off inside the box before blazing over the Square End crossbar.
Ten minutes later the roles were to be reversed. This time Mittag picked up the ball from a sloppy Irish clearance and squared to Marozsan on the edge of the box. Rather out of character for the FFC Frankfurt playmaker, she could only skew her effort wide of Byrne's left-hand post. It seemed only a matter of time before the German's would equalise and that they did on sixty-five minutes.
Marozsan was yet again in the thick of the action this time flicking the ball into the path of Leupolz on the right flank. Leupolz pulled the ball back for Mittag who was adjudged to have been up-ended by Louise Quinn inside the box. Simone Laudehr stepped up to take the resultant spot-kick and made no mistake in drawing her side level by placing the ball in the top corner of Byrne's goal.
With Marozsan playing the role of catalyst, Germany's superiority in possession began to shine through and so it came as no surprise when they took the lead with just five minutes remaining, albeit in rather controversial fashion.
Emma Byrne dropped Melanie Leupolz' cross after seeming to have been fouled by substitute Lena Lotzen who poked the ball into an empty net.
The game was to take another dramatic twist with just one minute of playing remaining. Again Ireland utilised a Megan Campbell throw-in to their advantage with the former Raheny United defender launching the ball into the box for Peamount star Stephanie Roche to prod the ball home.
Just when Ireland thought they had sealed a hugely significant draw with the Silvia Neid managed outfit, the German's stole all three points courtesy of a Leupolz cross which looped over the unfortunate Byrne's head and into the back of the net.
Despite Germany's apparent technical superiority on the day, Ireland will feel their spirited performance was perhaps deserving of a draw. However, as they prepare for next month's crunch tie at home to third placed Russia, Ronan's charges will take much encouragement from a performance that saw them push the world's second ranked team to the pin of their collar.
Republic of Ireland: Emma Byrne; Meabh De Burca, Louise Quinn, Megan Campbell, Sopie Perry; Dora Gorman (Caldwell 85), Shannon Smyth (Grant 58), Julie Anne Russell; Fiona O' Sullivany (Roche 81), Aine O'Gorman, Denise O' Sullivan.
Subs not used: Ruesha Littlejohn, Siobhan Killen, Karen Duggan, Niamh Reid Burke.
Germany: Nadine Angerer; Bianca Schmidt, Tabea Kemme (Lena Lotzen 46), Annika Krahn, Josephinne Henning; Anna Mittag, Simone Laudehr, Lena Goessling, Nadine Kessler (Popp 70), Melanie Behringer (Leupolz 58); Dzsenifer Marozsan.
Subs not used: Lulsa Wensing, Almuth Schult, Sara Dabritz, Marie Pauline Bremer.
Referee: Carina Sussana Vitulano (Italy)
Attendance: 1,623
ExtraTime.ie Player of the Match: Dzseinfer Marozsan
