A 5PM START, an 8.06pm finish and an 88th-minute Denise O’Sullivan winner on a bizarre Halloween Night in Albania.
This most literal game of two halves was suspended at the break due to adverse weather conditions, and while it most definitely wasn’t pretty, Ireland finally got the job done.
There was a collective sigh of relief as the ever-impressive O’Sullivan turned in her 20th international goal on her 109th cap, one she and her team-mates will likely never forget.
But all that matters is the three points — and a fourth win from four in Group B1 of the Uefa Women’s Nations League, with interim manager Eileen Gleeson leading her side to promotion. Northern Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Hungary in Belfast tonight confirmed that Ireland will top the group, and move up to League A, with two games to spare.
We expected tricks, treats and bangers in Shkodër after the 5-1 reverse hammering on Friday, but this was very nearly fright night against a team ranked 72nd in the world, 48 places below their visitors.
Ireland had to repeatedly knock on the door before the treat finally came.
Gleeson made two changes to her XI. Erin McLaughlin earned her first international start after impressing off the bench on Friday night, while Sinead Farrelly returned to the starting team. Megan Connolly and Izzy Atkinson dropped to the bench, with Amber Barrett — alongside Megan Campbell and Claire O’Riordan — again absent from the matchday squad.
They stuck with a 3-5-2 formation, McLaughlin joining Kyra Carusa up front and Katie McCabe and Abbie Larkin the wide players initially.
For all of their more expansive play, Ireland were quite open at the back early on at Loro Borici Stadium. They left space in behind as they pressed and Albania almost caught them on the counter amidst a much brighter start from the hosts, led by Megi Doci.
Ireland’s attack stuttered to life, McCabe combining nicely with O’Sullivan and Farrelly, but clear-cut chances were few and far between. Their best opportunity of the first half came after a 17th-minute McCabe corner, a goalmouth scramble ensuing as Sara Maliqi denied O’Sullivan on the line after a Caitlin Hayes knock-down, and Louise Quinn’s eventual follow-up shot whisked wide.
Cue the thunderstorm. As the rain poured and the thunder roared, Ireland tried to force the issue with overcomplicated intricate passing up front rather than using their width. Their frustration grew with the puddles on the increasingly unplayable pitch, the ball literally sticking to the surface.
Conditions were far from conducive for playing ball, but Albania almost capitalised on poor defending off the back of a free-kick. The sodden pitch and a last-ditch Diane Caldwell block combined to deny Mimoza Hamidi. The action descended into chaos in the final minutes of the half, with common sense eventually prevailing and the game suspended at the break.
It restarted well over an hour later, the pitch almost unrecognisable and the ball moving around more smoothly again. Gleeson sprung Heather Payne and Jamie Finn from the bench for McLaughlin and Farrelly; the lively Larkin switching to the left to facilitate Payne, and McCabe moving more centrally.
Ireland kept the pressure on, but to no great avail with Quinn and Tyler Toland’s shots straying wide and Viona Rexhepi comfortably claiming tame efforts from Carusa and McCabe. They began to turn the screw but time and time again, Rexhepi kept the visitors out. One of the picks of the bunch was when she bravely intercepted Carusa after a McCabe free, the captain disappointingly sending a header over just beforehand off a superb cross from substitute Izzy Atkinson.
Ireland desperately chased the breakthrough, and it almost came… but for Rexhepi once more, when she produced a point-blank save to keep out O’Sullivan’s header from Payne’s delivery.
Ireland huffed and puffed, and it seemed like the decisive goal would never come.
But it did.
Denise O'Sullivan has broken the deadlock for Ireland in their Women's Nations League clash in Albania and Eileen Gleeson's side are on course to maintain their 100% record #COYGIG #ALBIRL #IRLWNT
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) October 31, 2023
📱 Updates - https://t.co/krrOLSWsD0
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/Sfewj1LU8N pic.twitter.com/bBzxl9MCpu
With two minutes of normal time to go — and after Albania almost hit their own net — Carusa squared it to O’Sullivan, who slotted home with the help of a deflection. She showed her class in the build-up with a deft touch to control Atkinson’s delivery, before linking up with the US-born striker.
McCabe almost made it two just after as she lined up a trademark banger, but Rexhepi showed a strong hand to tip it over the bar.
And that was that.
A simply bizarre Halloween Night in Albania.
The good news from Belfast soon filtered through to top it off nicely.
IRELAND: Courtney Brosnan; Diane Caldwell, Louise Quinn, Caitlin Hayes; Katie McCabe, Denise O’Sullivan, Sinead Farrelly (Jame Finn HT), Tyler Toland, Abbie Larkin (Izzy Atkinson 63); Erin McLaughlin (Heather Payne HT), Kyra Carusa.
ALBANIA: Viona Rexhepi; Lucie Gjini, Sara Maliqi, Gresa Berish, Alma Hila; Qendresa Krasniqi, Ezmiralda Franja, Mimoza Hamidi (Mikaela Metalla 63); Megi Doci, Kristina Maksuti (Valentina Troka 86), Armela Tukaj.
Referee: Araksya Saribekya (Armenia).
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