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Barrett sparks Irish fightback against impressive Zambia

Updated / Friday, 23 Jun 2023 00:27
Amber Barrett (R) celebrates her second goal
Amber Barrett (R) celebrates her second goal

Republic of Ireland 3-2 Zambia

Amber Barrett rose from the bench to spark a second-half Republic of Ireland fightback as they beat a dynamic and impressive Zambia 3-2 in their World Cup warm-up friendly at Tallaght Stadium.

There's 55 places between the team in the FIFA world rankings; Ireland are 22nd, Zambia 77th. But it certainly didn't look it on a balmy Dublin night, with Vera Pauw giving several of her fringe players a chance to impress before she finalises her tournament squad next week.

Zambia took the lead in a first half bossed by the superb Barbra Banda, whose cross led to a Courtney Brosnan own goal on 17 minutes.

Pauw made five changes at the break and the hosts re-emerged a more aggressive, cohesive outfit. Barrett equalised from the penalty spot in the 47th minute, Claire O’Riordan expertly headed Ireland in front 16 minutes later and Barrett struck again with 69 minutes on the clock, lifting home a lovey lob.

Zambia got one back with 11 minutes left through Rachael Kundananji, but Ireland saw it out on a night when victory felt a lot less important than individual performances. Pauw will name her final 23-player World Cup squad next week.

Katie McCabe, Kyra Carusa, Denise O'Sullivan and Sinead Farrelly - all nailed on starters against Australia - were absent; Aoife Mannion continues to rehab her knee injury; Lily Agg was omitted as a precaution; and Tara O'Hanlon was given the night off as she focuses on her Leaving Cert exams.

Leanne Kiernan made her first Ireland start in 16 months as Pauw handed the Cavan attacker an opportunity to prove she's sharp enough to make the plane.

Eighty-two seconds in, she almost bagged a dream goal. Izzy Atkinson whipped in a good ball from the left and Kiernan's first-time volley flashed just wide.

Barely two minutes later, Ireland went close again. This time Megan Connolly bent in a dangerous free-kick which was met by O'Riordan; her intial header was blocked, a scramble ensued and when the ball dropped kindly to O'Riordan's feet, she lifted her effort over the bar.

Chances kept coming in a wide-open start. Barbra Banda - Zambia's captain and standout player - announced her threat when she fired into the sidenetting. Then Kundananji surged behind the Irish defence only to see her cross brilliantly cut out by the recovering O'Riordan.

Zambia were full of energy - pressing and haranguing Ireland with enthusiasm. On 14 minutes a clever ball over the top teased Louise Quinn into attempting an acrobatic clearance. Barbra Banda pounced on the loose ball, her effort being charged down before Xiomara Mapape lashed narrowly wide.

Zambia, with the excellent Grace Chanda pulling the strings, were starting to cut Ireland open, and in the 17th minute they took the lead.

Barbra Banda jinked past Quinn and guided in a cross that nicked the toe of Atkinson, hit the post and squirmed in via the unfortunate Brosnan. It was a bizarre goal but there was no doubting the quality of Zambia's attacking play, with Chanda, Susan Banda and Mapepa frequently targeting Ireland's left-hand side.

Barbra Banda attracted the ball like a magnet in the first half, with a disjointed Ireland struggling to contain her. The home team did have the ball in the net after Heather Payne hit Kiernan over the top with a brilliant diagonal and she duly slid it past Hazel Nali, but the flag was raised.

Eight minutes before the break Ireland stitched together their best move of the half. Atkinson glided infield and slipped a nicel ball through for Saoirse Noonan. She slid to the ground to knock it into the path of Kiernan, whose first-time cross was glanced wide by Abbie Larkin.

That seemed to lift the players and the mood inside the ground as Kiernan - haring onto a good Ruesha Littlejohn pass - forced Nali into a smart save before Quinn nodded over from a corner.

Still, the Zambians' ability to run at Ireland with pace and power always had the hosts on edge - Kundananji bursting through the middle of the park in the 41st minute to draw a decent save from Brosnan.

Frustrations were perhaps best summed by up a Fahey lunge on Barbra Banda. The Zambian had to get lengthy treament; Fahey went in the book, and on the stroke of half-time the Galway woman could have been sent off on a second yellow when she body-checked Banda 30 yards from goal. Belgian referee Caroline Lanssens kept her card in her pocket.

One-nil down at the break, Pauw made five changes. In came Barrett, Ciara Grant, Harriet Scott, Chloe Mustaki and Erin McLaughlin - winning her first cap - in place of Fahey, Littlejohn, Noonan, Kiernan and Atkinson.

The impact was swift. Ireland reappeared with much more aggression, and within three minutes they had a penalty after Larkin's shot cannoned off the arm of Evarine Susan Katongo. Up stepped Barrett to calmly slot it past a wrong-footed Nali.

Barbra Banda had the chance to restore Zambia's lead within two minutes when she galloped beyond Scott only to curl a tame effort into the hands of Brosnan.

Ireland started to get control of things however, Grant, Barrett and Scott offering a greater physicality that unsettled Zambia.

On 63 minutes they took the lead. Connolly floated in a peach of free-kick that was brilliantly guided home by the diving O'Riordan.

With 20 minutes to go Kundananji embarked on another gutsy run, driving between two defenders before lashing on a low shot that Brosnan clawed around the post.

But less than two minutes later, Ireland killed it off. Connolly’s corner was unconvincingly punched away by Nali, with Grant cushioning a header towards Barrett who lofted a lovely finish over the stranded keeper.

Brosnan – crowned the FAI’s player of the year midweek – then produced a super piece of goalkeepeing to first deny Banda in a one-on-one and then scampering back across her goal to keep out an Ochumba Oseke Lunbanji header.

Zambia kept pushing. The all-action O’Riordan made a fantastic double block to deny Barbra Banda. But the Copper Queens got a deserved second goal in the 79th minute after Banda slipped in Kundananji, who drilled a good finish to the net.

Lunbanji had a speculative effort from range at the death as a spirited Zambia scrapped to the end. They’ll be worth keeping an eye in Australia and New Zealand - a progressive, powerful team who love to attack.

Meanwhile the Ireland players face an anxious wait to see who exactly is getting a ticket to the country's first ever FIFA Women's World Cup.

Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Heather Payne, Niamh Fahey (Ciara Grant 45), Louise Quinn (capt), Claire O'Riordan; Izzy Atkinson (Chloe Mustaki 45), Megan Connolly, Ruesha Littlejohn (Ciara Grant 45); Saoirse Noonan (Erin McLaughlin 45), Abbie Larkin (Lucy Quinn 64), Leanne Kiernan (Amber Barrett 45)

Zambia: Hazel Nali; Judith Soko, Mweemba Lushomo ( Vast Phiri 67), Margaret Belemu, Evarine Susan Katongo, Agness Musesa, Grace Chanda, Racheal Kundananji, Susan Banda (Rhoda Chileshe 67), Xiomara Mapepa (Ochumba Oseke Lunbanji 67); Racheal Kundananji, Barbra Banda (capt)

Referee: Caroline Lanssens (Belgium)

Attendance: 5,732

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