Girls in Green get Cup boost after shock win over Germans

IRELAND’S ladies gave themselves an unexpected boost ahead of next month’s World Cup last night when they scored a shock 2-1 win over Germany in the opening game of the Three Nations Tournament in Dusseldorf.

It was only their second-ever win over the former World and Olympic champions, following their ground-breaking victory at a similar event 12 months ago.

Ireland are ranked 16th in the world, while their hosts are 10 places higher on the list, and Graham Shaw’s team went into the game on the back of a disappointing series defeat to Canada in Dublin last weekend.

Ireland will have an early chance for revenge as they face the North Americans in the final game of the tournament tomorrow.

All five Ulster players in Shaw’s squad of 22 played in yesterday’s game and the Ireland coach will be naming his final selection for the London World Cup next week, when four women will drop out.

After Ayeisha McFerran had saved an early set-piece, Ireland broke the deadlock in the seventh minute through Anna O’Flanagan.

Germany withdrew their keeper with five minutes left and the move paid dividends when Anna Schroder hit the equaliser.

With 30 seconds on the clock, a pass by Ulster’s Shirley McCay found O’Flanagan, whose pass found Meeke who finished into the unguarded net for the winner.

Ireland: McFerran, Evans, Mullan, McCay, Beatty, Pinder, Upton, Matthews, O’Flanagan, Wilson, Meeke. Subs: Duke, Torrans, Colvin, Watkins, Tice, O’Byrne.