Katie McCabe played a captain's role to seal a 2-0 victory over Montenegro as she scored from the spot to ensure that Ireland opened their Euro 2021 campaign with a win.
The Arsenal midfielder admitted that, despite the victory, it was a frustrating night playing against a team who played with a blanket defence throughout the Group I clash at Tallaght Stadium.
Ireland enjoyed the overwhelming majority of possession throughout but only managed to breach the Montenegro defence on two occasions, first from a Tyler Toland strike in the seventh minute, and then from McCabe’s penalty midway through the second half.
The skipper said that she believed that Ireland were creating enough chances to ensure the victory but admitted a sense of relief by notching the second goal for Tom O’Connor’s side.
"I like the pressure of taking penalties," said McCabe following the victory that sees Ireland move into second place in the group in their quest to qualify for the England event in two years’ time.
"The [second] goal was coming as we were creating chances, but we needed the breathing space so I am happy I tucked it away.
"They defended deep and it was frustrating, so we would have liked to break them down a little bit better than we did.
"I would be more worried if we weren’t creating chances, so on another night we may have scored more."
McCabe is one of several members of the Ireland squad who now plies her trade across the water in the English top tier with Arsenal, and with the season yet to start, the Dubliner said that the three points were the only real concern as it was the first competitive match of the season.
"There are people coming in at different stages of their season so it could be a factor, but we did well with the task in hand so I’m just happy we got the three points."
O’Connor is the current interim head coach following the resignation of Colin Bell during the summer, and while McCabe said that she would like a permanent manager to be confirmed ahead of next month’s Ukraine clash, she is glad that the FAI are taking their time to make the right appointment.
"It is a hard job to fill and you really need to find the right person. I’d be worried if they rushed it," said McCabe, speaking before the FAI confirmed that the new manager would be unveiled this afternoon.
"It would be ideal to have it done by Ukraine but we will have to wait and see."
O’Connor has applied for the job and while he admitted after the match that he is playing the waiting game at this stage, McCabe said she enjoyed the week working with the coach and his assistant, Stephen Rice.
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"I’ve worked with Tom for the last few years. He was part of the coaching staff that brought me in to give me my first senior appearance so he knows the bones of the squad in and out, so I think he was the right man to take us to America and for this game.
"This week has been great. Myself and the girls love playing under Tom and Stephen."
Ireland will need to finish in the top two of the group to have a chance of qualifying for the 2021 showpiece – the group winners qualify, while second place may result in automatic qualification or a play-off.
And while Ukraine are the second seeds in the group, their 8-0 defeat to Germany earlier on Tuesday will certainly add to the confidence levels of the Irish side.
"We will take each game as it comes and the scorelines show how strong Germany are but we don’t play them until next year.
"Ukraine are second seeds in the group so all the focus is on them next month and it will be a tough game."
