Gary Connaughton reporting from Tallaght Stadium
Heading into the game against Zambia, many Ireland players would be hoping to seize their final opportunity to stake a claim for their place in Vera Pauw's World Cup squad.
Amber Barrett was chief amongst them.
Since scoring the goal against Scotland that booked Ireland's place in the tournament, things have not gone to plan for the Donegal woman. Prior to this fixture, she had not found the back of the net at club or international level since that goal in Glasgow.
Luckily, that all changed in Tallaght.
Having come onto the pitch at halftime with Ireland 1-0 down on the back of a lacklustre first half performance, Barrett got the side back on level terms from the penalty spot a few minutes after the interval. As is often the case in such situations, the end of her long goal drought was followed with a second soon after.
While the first came via a very straightforward effort, the next one was anything but.
Ireland 3-1 Zambia: Amber Barrett claims her second of the night with a wonderfully taken finish. #RTEsoccer
📺Watch: https://t.co/VyLFd6HQiN
📷Follow: https://t.co/2xlMBGxULw pic.twitter.com/Mx6FPIGrLU— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 22, 2023
She will now hope that this performance was enough to ensure her spot on the plane to Australia.
Amber Barrett makes claim for Ireland World Cup squad
While they are not the only way to judge a striker's contribution to a team, it is always helped when a player can add goals to a side. That is not something that Amber Barrett had been doing in recent times, a fact that had been weighing heavily on her as she aims for a once in a lifetime trip to the World Cup.
Speaking to the media after the Zambia game, the Donegal woman admitted that a weight had now been lifted off her shoulders. Despite this, she said the goals do not guarantee her a place in the squad for the tournament.
I cannot tell you, I feel like the weight of the world came off my shoulders when the ball went into the net. It's not just the international perspective, but also the club.
The last six months have been really difficult, now getting back scoring again. To score in Tallaght in front of that crowd, I cannot describe it. It's such an unbelievable feeling. Every single one of them, we heard them for the full 90 minutes. Even when Courtney is making a save, the roar is nearly as loud as when we score.
That's the support we want. To score for Ireland is the best thing you can ever do...
Believe me, as much as it was good for me to play and to score, it doesn't guarantee anything. There's still a few days to go, we still have a couple of training sessions left. I think Vera will be looking for a reaction form all the players.
While Barrett's goalscoring form has not been prolific, she has shown that she can rise to the occasion for Ireland. The play-off against Scotland was the most obvious example of that, with this brace against very tough opposition a good step towards regaining her confidence.
We already saw signs of that within the Zambia game. Would she have pulled off that remarkable chip had she not broken her duck from the penalty spot a few moments prior? You would imagine not.
If Barrett does make the plane and go on to star in Australia, she will look back on this night as the catalyst for doing so.
In all, did she see it as the perfect night? Not quite:
A third would have been nice!
But no, going in at halftime 1-0 down we really had to reset and get ourselves back into the game. It was great to score two goals, but more importantly we got ourselves over the line against a really tough Zambia team.
We really gave them the respect they deserved. They some really top class players in there and made it difficult for us. Even at the end at 3-1, they looked dangerous. Of course, it's great that we managed to get a win, with so many of our players in pre-season as well...
As a striker, you want to get on the ball straight away and get that chance to get in front of goal. When the penalty went, me and Megan had a wee look. When Katie [McCabe] isn't there, it would usually be Megan [Connolly] that would take it. She gave me a little smile and I took that as 'thank you very much'.
To be honest, I haven't scored a goal since Scotland. I'm glad we can leave that one behind and talk about something else.
A few nervy days now await Amber Barrett, who desperately wants to be included on the 23-player list next week.
She certainly couldn't have done much more to make her case for a place in the squad.
SEE ALSO: Vera Pauw Dreading The 'Worst Day Of The Campaign' As Ireland Squad Cut Looms
