Ireland Beat New Zealand 3-2 to Keep World Cup Hopes

Match Overview

Ireland secured a 3-2 victory over New Zealand in a Women’s World Cup group game played on Tuesday morning in Belgium. The match saw Ireland’s captain Sarah Hawkshaw score in the 24th minute, Róisín Upton convert a penalty in the 49th minute, and Katie Mullan add a third in the 56th minute. New Zealand’s Emelia Surridge opened the scoring for the hosts in the 35th minute and Hannah Doar added a consolation goal in the 59th minute.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with both sides struggling early on. New Zealand had a close chance from two penalty corners before Ireland’s first two set-pieces of the game. Misplaced passes and soft turnovers littered the contest, but Ireland found rhythm in the second quarter and tightened their possession.

Key Moments

Hawkshaw’s early goal came after she deflected Niamh Carey’s effort on goal, a move that was set up by Ellen Curran on the right of the circle. Ireland finished the second quarter well on top, showing improved composure.

In the third quarter, Emily Kealy forced a fine save from Grace O’Hanlon with a reverse strike from the left. New Zealand then produced four penalty corners in quick succession, with Surridge leveling the score from the last corner by deflecting Casey Crowley’s shot past Liz Murphy.

Hawkshaw appeared to restore Ireland’s lead before the end of the quarter, but a video referral showed the ball was outside the circle by an inch when she struck it. The decisive moment came in the final quarter when New Zealand’s Hannah Cotter was sin-binned for five minutes after a foul on Upton. Ireland capitalised on the advantage, forcing a penalty stroke less than a minute later, which Upton converted.

Four minutes from time, Mullan scored her 90th international goal in 264 appearances, turning home Upton’s penalty-corner drag-flick to make it 3-1. Doar’s late consolation goal for New Zealand finished the scoreline at 3-2.

What Comes Next

Ireland now face Belgium, ranked third in the world, on Thursday. A win would secure a top-two finish and progression to the knockout stage, while a draw could suffice if New Zealand defeat Spain in their final group game. The outcome of the remaining matches will determine whether Ireland can advance.

Ireland’s squad for the match included E Murphy; L Neill, C Perdue, H McLoughlin, S McAuley; C Beggs, S Hawkshaw, M Carey; N Carey, K Mullan, A Utri. Substitutes were H Micklem, R Upton, E Curran, C Hamill, K Larmour, M Power, E Kealy.