Jacob hails Irish as O’flanagan’s double ensures series lead

ANNA O’flanagan hit two late goals as Ireland’s women defeated Spain 2-0 in the third game of the five-match series in Murcia yesterday.

The result enabled Sean Dancer’s team to move 2-1 ahead in the series with further games to follow tomorrow (12pm) and Sunday.

The Irish head coach has introduced a more attacking approach since taking over in 2019 and it seems to be paying dividends.

Ireland have now scored eight goals in the three matches so far, and keeping a first clean sheet yesterday will also have pleased the Australian.

O’flanagan — Ireland’s alltime leading scorer with 81 goals in 207 appearances — made it three in two games on the trip to Murcia with her double strike.

Team manager Lisa Jacob said: “It was a tight game in all four quarters and we had a lot of circle entries but outcomes evaded us until the last five minutes.

“A strong Spain side pressed aggressively and caused us problems but it was a great result after hard work on a hot day.”

After the trip to Spain, it’s anticipated that Ireland’s pre-olympic squad will relocate to Belfast for at least part of next month to make use of the facilities at the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland.

The panel will make use of the heat chamber at Ulster University in order to replicate, as far as possible, the hot and humid conditions they will experience in Tokyo in July and early August.

It won’t be the first time Ireland will have used the complex for similar reasons as they did likewise before travelling to Malaysia for a successful World Cup qualifying tournament in January 2017.