My First World Cup: O’Riordan level-headed about World Cup chances despite scoring first Ireland goal
Republic of Ireland defender Claire O’Riordan says she will remain level-headed ahead of Vera Pauw selecting her final 23-player squad for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
The Celtic defender scored in the 3-2 victory against Zambia in what was Ireland’s first warm-up match ahead of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
However, she did not believe it made her a certain pick for when Pauw streamlines her training squad of 31 players next week.
“My feet are firmly on the ground so whatever comes in the next days I am prepared for,” she said.
“We’ve all been here for the last couple of weeks training and putting the work in to get ready in each and every single session that we’ve had.
“We’re building team morale, building as a group. I am thankful that we were able to get the result.”
O’Riordan’s 63rd-minute header was her first goal for her country. It put Ireland 2-1 up and set them on the way to victory after they had fallen behind to a first-half Courtney Brosnan own goal.
“It was a good ball in from Megan [Connolly]. Thankfully it landed on the top of my head and went in the goal,” she joked.
“I’ve recognised towards the end of my career that it is a strength of mine [scoring goals]. I was able to bring that to Celtic and I made the coaches aware that I could get on the end of a few crosses.
“I’m thrilled to be able to contribute tonight but it is all about the team performance. it’s important to focus on the task and try and do my best to implement the gameplan in every single situation that we have. The most important thing was to continue to do that and stick together as a group.”
Having defended bravely for much of the evening, the 28-year-old was moved up front in the closing stages as fatigue set in.
“I was suffering with a few cramps but I didn’t want to leave my team down to ten players, so I thought it was a great decision to put me up top,” O’Riordan revealed.
“I’m glad I was able to see out the 90 minutes even with the cramps.”
The Ireland players now have three days off before reconvening in Dublin on Monday, and O’Riordan plans to enjoy her time off ahead of Pauw’s squad announcement next week.
“I’m going to go back to Limerick with my family now,” she said. “I’m going to enjoy my time with them.”
