The Republic of Ireland conspired to turn a routine victory into a nervous slog as they squeezed past Greece 2-1 in their Nations League clash at Tallaght Stadium.
Amber Barrett's penalty and a close-range header from Anna Patten had Carla Ward’s side cruising, but they went into autopilot after the hour mark and almost paid the price.
Veatriki Sarri halved the deficit in the 72nd minute, exhibiting the class that’s seen her operate in the Women’s Super League with Brighton and Everton for the last three years.
And that energised Greek belief that was only fully extinguished once the full-time whistle blew.
Pre-match, Ireland were challenged by Ward to show they can shine without captain Katie McCabe, who was suspended. It was a challenge they only just passed, an unconvincing showing summed up by Megan Campbell receiving a yellow card for time wasting in stoppage time.
Barrett and Marissa Sheva started, rewarded for their goalscoring appearances off the bench in Crete four days ago. Heather Payne was less fortunate. The wing-back was omitted from the squad completely due to what the FAI described as "an administration error".
Ireland 1-0 Greece: Amber Barrett gives Ireland the perfect start as she opens the scoring from the penalty spot.
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Conditions were ideal in Tallaght, with the sun just starting to dip at kick-off. The pitch was in good nick too as the Greeks set their stall out with a fluid 5-4-1 formation that shapeshifted throughout the contest.
Unlocking any rigid setup often requires a flash of individuality. In the seventh minute, Leanne Kiernan provided it. She drifted in from the left flank, twisted the guts of Maria Palama, and eventually teased Athanasia Moraitou into making a rash challenge.
Replays showed it was just outside the area, but fortune smiled on Ward when German referee Franziska Wildfeuer pointed to the spot. Barrett duly lashed home the ninth goal of her international career.
That early penalty relaxed the hosts.
O’Sullivan’s endlessly clever feints had the crowd cooing and Greek limbs slashing at thin air; Barrett was full of beans up top; while Megan Campbell and Lucy Quinn combined well on the left.
Greece kept on trucking. Sarri teed up Stamatia Ntarzanou on the edge of the box but her effort flew well wide. Then an over-eager Ioanna Papatheodorou sent Courtney Brosnan flying with reckless sliding tackle after 25 minutes.
However Greece’s graft was not wedded to any cohesion or real quality. Ireland were comfortable.
They almost doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark when Aoife Mannion nodded inches wide following a Campbell corner that sparked a bit of penalty box pinball.
Bar a harmless Tyler Toland daisy-cutter and a decent Barrett shot that sailed into the hands of Zoi Nasi, there were no more major incidents before the break. Ireland would have been content but not completely satisfied with a one-goal lead.
Ireland 2-0 Greece: Anna Patten doubles Ireland's lead as she finishes off a well-worked cornerkick routine with a header.
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More verve was needed to land the killer blow.
Newcastle United’s Emily Murphy was introduced in place of Kiernan, and Ireland continued to stich together the sort of patterns of play that had pinned their opponents back for most of the first 45.
When the second goal came though, on 50 minutes, it was a setpiece that did the damage. Campbell whipped in a superb corner that Patten glanced home from half a yard out. It was a delivery that simply demanded to be converted.
Campbell’s massive throw-ins were another source of discomfort for Greece – Eleni Saich almost glanced the ball into her own net as she tried to diffuse a missile flung in from the left.
The game sagged. Ireland had so much possession but there was no great urgency to their play; only the imperious O’Sullivan had the vision to feed in passes that turned the visiting defence on their heels.
Ireland 2-1 Greece: Veatriki Sarri drags the Greeks back into the game with a wonderful finish from outside the box.
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In the 72nd minute, an unwelcome jolt.
The Greeks’ standout performer Sarri steered home a really good low finish on the swivel from the edge of the box and suddenly the game was alive again.
Saoirse Noonan entered the fray to win her first cap since July 2023, but things were getting nervy.
A loose Stapleton pass offered Stamatia Ntarzanou an opportunity to catch Brosnan out of position – mercifully, her attempt from distance whizzed a few feet wide.
Ntarzanou threatened again soon after; twisting, turning and stinging the palms of the well-positioned Brosnan.
Quinn’s improvised scoop forced Nasi into a sharp save; then Noonan flashed a header wide.
In the end, a third goal was not required, but when Ward puts this display under the microscope, she'll be confronted by quite a few blemishes ahead of a tough May/June period, which throws up a trip to Turkey and a meeting with table-toppers Slovenia at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Aoife Mannion, Jessie Stapleton, Anna Patten, Megan Campbell; Tyler Toland (Ruesha Littlejohn 83), Denise O'Sullivan (capt), Marissa Sheva (Cailtin Hayes 89); Lucy Quinn (Abbie Larkin 83), Amber Barrett (Saoirse Noonan 73), Leanne Kiernan (Emily Murphy HT)
Greece: Zoi Nasi; Maria Palama (Despoina Chatzinikolaou 84), Eleni Markou (capt), Maria Paterna (Elena Kakambouki HT); Stamatia Ntarzanou (Maria Gkouni 67), Eleni Saich, Veatriki Sarri, Athanasia Moraitou, Maria Mitkou; Ioanna Papatheodorou, Anastasia Spyridonidou (Sofia Kongouli HT)
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer (Germany)
Attendance: 5,879
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