Poor defending costs Ireland as Netherlands claim narrow World Cup qualification win
Netherlands 2 (Beerensteyn 20, 82) Ireland 1 (McCabe pen 50)Katie McCabe was spot-on for Ireland in Utrecht last night - but it was heartache once again for Carla Ward’s side.Having come so close to securing a result against France four nights earlier, the Girls in Green looked set to claim a point against the Netherlands when Arsenal star McCabe cancelled out Lineth Beerensteyn’s opener.However, the Wolfsburg forward had the last say, when she hooked the ball past Courtney Brosnan with eight minutes remaining.It was bitter disappointment once again for Ireland, with question marks over the defending for both goals.Beerensteyn’s winner came from an Esmee Brugts corner, which Brosnan struggled to deal with at her near post.The Dutch striker still had plenty of work to do, but with little pressure on her she managed to hook the ball over her shoulder and between the goalkeeper and the left-hand upright.Beerensteyn had plenty of space in the 20th minute to open the scoring, as she drifted away from Aoife Mannion at the back post to convert Lynn Wilms’ excellent low delivery to the back post.But it wasn’t just Mannion who was loose with her marking; Wilms was in the middle of a triangle of Irish jerseys, with McCabe, Megan Connolly and Marissa Sheva all nearby.No one could get close enough to the Aston Villa defender to put pressure on the cross, however, and the finish was a tap-in for Beerensteyn.The lead goal was coming, as the Netherlands exerted pressure after a strong Irish opening.Caitlin Hayes twice came close to the game’s first goal inside the opening six minutes. The first, a back-post header from a McCabe corner, was deflected wide off the knee of Wilms.And Hayes then headed wide from six yards after Carusa did well to hook the ball inside.Brosnan did well to come off her line and rob Beerensteyn shortly after those chances, while Wieke Kaptein fired wide and Vivianne Miedema’s effort was blocked by Hayes.Then came the opener, and a promising reaction from the visitors, with Carusa forcing a block after Emily Murphy’s powerful run forward and through-ball.Beerensteyn should have scored her second shortly before half-time, but shot too close to Brosnan after finding space once again at the back post beyond Mannion.The equaliser came shortly after the break, when Dutch goalkeeper Lize Kop was adjudged to have punched Anna Patten in the head on her way to clearing a cross.McCabe kept her nerve and slotted the penalty low inside the right-hand corner, sending Kop the wrong way for her 33rd senior Ireland goal.There were chances for both sides after that, with Miedema failing to convert from 16 yards, and Megan Connolly trying her luck from distance, while McCabe showed great footwork to create room for a shot, but failed to keep her effort down.And then came the killer blow, another disappointing goal to concede, to condemn Ireland to a second League A defeat in four days.Netherlands: Lize Kop; Lynn Wilms, Dominique Janssen, Veerle Buurman, Marisa Olislagers; Wieke Kaptein (Jackie Groenen 65), Vivianne Miedema (Chastity Grant 90), Damaris Egurrola; JIll Roord (Esmee Brugts 65), Romee Leuchter (Danielle van de Donk 65), Lineth Beerensteyn.Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Caitlin Hayes, Anna Patten, Chloe Mustaki; Aoife Mannion, Lucy Quinn (Amber Barrett 65), Marissa Sheva (Saoirse Noonan 90), Megan Connolly, Katie McCabe; Emily Murphy, Kyra Carusa (Abbie Larkin 84).Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here.Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond.
