Ireland need to be out of 'comfort zone'

With the adrenaline wearing off, and thoughts already drifting towards Arsenal duty, Katie McCabe could finally relax just a little as she fulfilled media duties at the Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven.

Abbie Larkin's 90th-minute goal got the Republic of Ireland past Belgium 5-4 on aggregate in their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off, lifting the Girls in Green back up to League A with the big sharks.

Those are the waters McCabe was born to swim in.

On the night she won her 100th cap, the 30-year-old delivered the sort of captain's performance you almost take for granted, such is the frequency of her excellence.

She's desperate to make it to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, so the success in Belgium is just another stepping stone towards that as far as the Tallaght native is concerned. Job done, onto the next one.

"We need to be out of our comfort zone and playing up against the best in order to develop," McCabe reflected.

"Playing Belgium, we've learned so much from these games over the last two legs. Over the course of the two games, I'm very proud of how we reacted. We just want to keep building.

"I think for so long, there's been talk of us not being good enough on the ball going forward. I hope we've showed the fans and people watching (that's not the case). It's something we're constantly wanting to improve.

"I'm looking forward to enjoying the celebrations with my teammates. It's full focus now because we're back in with the club and Arsenal. We have a massive game coming up on Sunday (away to Leicester City)."

Belgium kept McCabe relatively quiet in the first half but they couldn't box her up for 90: the skipper grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck around the hour mark and didn't let go.

With Chloe Mustaki behind her as defensive cover, McCabe looks more comfortable than she has in a while with Ireland. Head coach Carla Ward has cultivated a system that plays to her skipper's strengths.

"I think since Carla's come in, she's come into our team, our culture, we've wanted to understand what she wants to do and she wants to understand what playing for Ireland is all about," added McCabe.

"I think one of the strengths of her as a manager is how open she is. She's not afraid to reflect and come away from looking at games and saying she got it wrong at times.

"Especially in that Nations League, I think we could have maybe been better as a team in terms of possession and going into games. She's not afraid to reflect and look back and tweak a few things.

"We all want to play pretty football and win games and score pretty goals, but it's just not like that sometimes. Sometimes the game is there for something else and we roll our sleeves up and have to fight for every inch."

In a bruising battle, it was Abbie Larkin who had the final say, lifting home a lovely dink at the death. It was a great moment for the Crystal Palace winger, who wheeled towards her family in the stands in celebration.

McCabe reserved some special words of praise for her team-mate, and stressed the importance of younger players seizing the initiative when it matters.

"Abbie's a resilient player. She's got a lot of strengths. She's shown that she can finish.

"I think she's at a club now where she's playing consistently, getting game time, she's in good form, she's learning. That's the most important thing. At that age, you don't want to be stuck on a bench and not playing. She's found herself at a club now where she can get that senior opportunity and senior minutes.

"The composure she showed tonight in front of her goal, it was unbelievable. I'm excited because we need more players like that in the squad. We've got such talent. When we keep them fit, keep them healthy, in good form, I think we've got really something good."

Click here to read article