Oct 26,2024
Republic of Ireland head coach Eileen Gleeson insists her side won't "relax" for Tuesday's play-off semi-final second leg against Georgia, but admitted a six-goal buffer affords her the opportunity to give more fringe players a spin in Tallaght.
The Girls in Green took a while to get going in Tbilisi, but ultimately they were too fit and too good for a side ranked 118th in the world.
They are home and hosed in the tie, and can look forward to a massive two-legged final against either Slovakia or Wales in November/December.
With the likes of Cork City's Eva Mangan and Athlone Town goalkeeper Katie Keane in the squad, Ireland also have a golden chance to blood new talent, though Gleeson stressed they won't let standards slip.
"I don't think we'll relax," she said afer watching her team power to a 6-0 win.
"We'll aim to definitely not be complacent and make sure we do a good job on Tuesday, but it opens up opportunities for some of the younger players that we've brought in to maybe get them some minutes.
"The aim is to win the game again with a good performance but it does open up opportunities to see some of the younger, less experienced players and give them some experience."
Two players who did seize their chance to shine were Abbie Larkin and Marissa Sheva.
Larkin picked up the player of the match award after a dynamic showing on the right, while Sheva - out in the cold for almost a year before Gleeson brought her into the July camp - scored a fine goal off the bench.
"I think both of them had very good games," Gleeson added.
"Abbie started, I thought she was our best outlet in the first half and she was very good again in the second half. Marissa came on and had a great impact on the game, found lovely little positions in the midfield and obviously got a great goal to go with it.
"We have got players coming through - Stapo (Jessie Stapleton), Aoife Mannion's goal was a great header at the back post and the deliveries were excellent as well."
Only a Katie McCabe penalty separated the teams at the break as Georgia sat in a rigid block that largely frustrated the visitors.
The floodgates opened late on as home limbs tired, with Gleeson agreeing there was plenty of room for Irish improvement on the turnaround.
"With these games you can expect a level of frustration," she said.
"You know you're going to play against a low block with everybody behind the ball. We would have liked a bit of a quicker speed of play from ourselves, some more balls into the box.
"I think we kept possession across the back line a bit too much and we wanted those balls to go forward. In terms of them time-wasting, that carried through throughout the game - again, probably something you can expect when you're in these games. We focus on ourselves.
"In the first half we would have liked a quicker speed of play at times and more early deliveries into the box. We weren't getting the final ball on target, we were making first contacts but not testing the keeper out. We had to improve that. I think that did improve in the second half and as you seen, we got a couple of goals."
Julie-Ann Russell went off after getting a bang on the nose but is expected to be fine for Tuesday. However Diane Caldwell requires more assessment on a back injury that saw her withdraw from the squad ahead of kick-off.
While Ireland were sauntering past Georgia, Slovakia edged past Wales 2-1 to set up a mouthwatering return leg in Cardiff.
The coaching staff will be keeping a very close eye on that game as the preparation for the final showdown in winter begins now.
"I always expected it to be a tight game," added Gleeson.
"Slovakia are tough, so will be interesting to see what happens in second leg."
Ireland head coach Eileen Gleeson reflects on the 6-0 first-leg win over Georgia and how they eventually broke down their opponents' low block in the second half @corktod #COYGIG #GEOIRL Report: https://t.co/DasXBotG9l pic.twitter.com/nUofkhaclK
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 25, 2024
