Republic of Ireland 5-1 Albania
Eoin Harrington reporting from Tallaght Stadium
Ireland made it three wins from three in the Women's Nations League with an (eventually) conclusive victory over Albania in Tallaght on Saturday night, as Katie McCabe put in a sensational performance in front of 5,752 fans.
Diane Caldwell was handed the captain's armband as she joined the Ireland international centurion crew, and her 100th cap was marked with a special presentation - and a special word from Michael D Higgins - ahead of kick-off.
Coming into the team were Abbie Larkin and Izzy Atkinson, and Megan Connolly returned to the starting line-up in place of Lily Agg, who had started in Hungary.
The first-half was at times frustrating for Ireland, but they still went in 2-1 up at the break thanks to two tidy finishes from Katie McCabe. They would then kick into full flow and assert their dominance in the second-half, eventually cruising to a 5-1 victory.
No prizes for guessing that hat-trick hero McCabe was the standout player once again for Ireland, but there were more than a few eye-catching performances as Ireland took control of the Nations League group.
READ HERE: Abbie Larkin: "I Didn’t Even Realise There Was That Many People In Ringsend!"
READ HERE: Jamie Finn: "That's Probably The Toughest Moment In My Life"
Republic of Ireland v Albania: WNT player ratings
Courtney Brosnan - 6
Didn't have a huge amount to do after being beaten from close range in the opening minutes.
Abbie Larkin - 6
GOAL IRELAND
IRL 1-0 ALB
Katie McCabe opens the scoring as Ireland make the perfect start against Albania at Tallaght Stadium.
📱 Updates: https://t.co/pHFgp6djwx
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/JYf06csaIG pic.twitter.com/9lmirOKdIh— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) October 27, 2023
Pushed up extremely high on the right-hand side. Used her pace well to burst in behind and put in a perfect cross to set up McCabe's opener.
As the game went on, her influence was reduced, though she was the Irish player who attacked with the most pace during the most frustrating periods of the game.
Caitlin Hayes - 6
Solid when called upon defensively in the early stages. Not as reliable on the ball as she was during September's international window, and gave away possession on a few occasions.
Had very little to do as the second-half progressed.
Louise Quinn - 6
Wasn't drawn into direct defensive action quite as often as her fellow centre-backs. The entire defence was somewhat culpable for allowing Megi Doci to sneak in for Albania's opener.
Assured in possession throughout.
Diane Caldwell - 7
27 October 2023; Diane Caldwell of Republic of Ireland in the dressing room before the UEFA Women's Nations League B match between Republic of Ireland and Albania at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Captained the team on her 100th appearance for her country. Regularly functioned as the last line of defence when Albania attempted to break - generally solid.
Nearly scored when she rattled the crossbar with an audacious effort midway through the first half.
Made an excellent goal-saving challenge with the game at 2-1 in the 54th minute. Her passing was on point throughout the 90.
Izzy Atkinson - 7
Atkinson and Larkin at times seemed to be functioning as overlapping wingers rather than wingbacks, they were pushed so high up the pitch. Really exciting, and regularly broke through with moments of skill early on. A real bright spark in Ireland's attack.
27 October 2023; Izzy Atkinson of Republic of Ireland in action against Arbenita Curraj of Albania during the UEFA Women's Nations League B match between Republic of Ireland and Albania at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Testament to the joy she was getting down the left flank was the amount of times her teammates sought to find her with through balls.
Taken off after 57 minutes of impressive football.
Tyler Toland - 6
Allowed Megi Doci to sneak in behind with ease for Albania's equaliser, but grew into her role and began to close up gaps in the Ireland midfield effectively. A quiet night but she came within sight of goal on occasion after half-time.
Megan Connolly - 7
27 October 2023; Megi Doci of Albania in action against Megan Connolly of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Women's Nations League B match between Republic of Ireland and Albania at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
A few shaky moments in possession but industrious as always, and the lynchpin in the Ireland midfield. Regularly won back the ball as Albania threatened to break, and gained more influence as she moved up the pitch.
Set-piece delivery routinely threatened the Albanian goalmouth. Taken off with over half-an-hour still to play.
Denise O'Sullivan - 7
Had some nice moments of linkup play, particularly with McCabe and Atkinson. Pushed further up the pitch and found herself gaining possession more often as the game progressed.
Regularly led Ireland in moments of transition, and enjoyed a lot of time on the ball as Ireland gained control in the second-half.
Katie McCabe - 10
One of Katie McCabe's finest performances in an Irish shirt - and that is certainly saying something. Hat-trick hero on a night where she was allowed to roam free in the Irish attack, and did so with aplomb.
Ireland 2-1 Albania: Who else but Katie McCabe? The Irish skipper shows great strength and then finds the finish to put Ireland back in front at Tallaght Stadium. #IRLALB
📱 Updates: https://t.co/pHFgp6djwx
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/JYf06csaIG pic.twitter.com/qnCC6MMyl1— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) October 27, 2023
She put Ireland 1-0 up after just three minutes and, with her current goalscoring form at club level, there was a sense of inevitability that her long-range effort on 26 minutes would find the net - even if it did take a deflection off Albanian Alma Hila.
Went on to pull off a sensational dribble from her own box to set up Kyra Carusa for Ireland's third. She set up Carusa's second with a clean cross, before scoring her finest of the night from a free kick to round off an outstanding hat-trick. Showed exactly why she is a Ballon d'Or nominee.
Ireland 5-1 Albania: Katie McCabe completes her hat-trick with a wonderfully struck free-kick. Three goals, two assists, just another day at the office for the Ireland captain. #IRLALB
📱 Updates: https://t.co/Sv9MTe8Bdn
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/JYf06csaIG pic.twitter.com/TgMXRNsgFV— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) October 27, 2023
Three goals, two assists, and central and essential to almost everything Ireland did going forward. As per usual, she excelled.
Kyra Carusa - 8
Used her strength very well in recovering possesion up front but occasionally struggled to link up with her teammates.
Ireland 3-1 Albania: Katie McCabe is involved once again, leading a fine counter-attack before playing the ball in for Kyra Carusa to add the third goal. . #IRLALB
📱 Updates: https://t.co/pHFgp6djwx
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/JYf06csaIG pic.twitter.com/bQD6TcOW9e— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) October 27, 2023
Was rewarded for her energy and hold-up play with a goal just before the hour mark, a neat lobbed finish after McCabe's mazy dribbling put her clean through. Added a second moments later with a bullet header to put the result beyond doubt.
Substitutes
Erin McLaughlin - 6
Earned just her second cap when she was introduced off the bench. Showed terrific energy up front, and goals seemed to just slip away from her on more than one occasion. Encouraging.
Sinead Farrelly - 6
Booked ten minutes after being introduced, but contributed well as Ireland's attack clicked into gear in the second-half.
Jamie Finn
Not on long enough to rate
Chloe Mustaki
Not on long enough to rate
Emily Whelan
Not on long enough to rate
Featured image: Sportsfile
SEE ALSO: Liam Scales And The 'Roy Keane Like' Trait Behind His Meteoric Rise
