Goal-hungry Girls in Green out to end year in style

The Republic of Ireland are determined to finish their UEFA Nations League campaign with a sprinkling of festive goals to send them into the new year on a high.

The Girls in Green have already won their group and sealed promotion to League A thanks to last month's late win over Albania in farcically wet conditions.

Four wins out of four with 13 goals scored and just one conceded is proof positive that Ireland have been a class apart against modest rivals.

League A houses the top 16 teams in Europe, so far bigger tests await, with the Euro 2025 qualifiers in the spring time also certain to bring hefty challenges.

For now though, Ireland are enjoying the more expansive approach Eileen Gleeson has implemented in her time as interim manager, liberating themselves against honest but limited sides.

"We know we got promotion to League A but when we get to League A we’ll have a new set of challenges," Gleeson reflected ahead of Friday night's clash with Hungary at Tallaght Stadium.

"You can look at the scoreline and say we want to be better, we want to win 5-0, we want to score goals, but there is [several] aspects of the performance that we can do better, that they can do better so we look at that, we analyse that, and look to improve it.

"Hungary no doubt have developed through the campaign, Northern Ireland [who Ireland play in Belfast on Tuesday] have developed with their new coach. We’ll be respectful of that and aware of that, pushing ourselves to be better in everything that we’re doing."

One of the big beneficiaries of Ireland's greater commitment to pushing bodies higher up the pitch has been Kyra Carusa. The California-born striker has four goals in her last four games, having scored just twice in her previous 15 appearances.

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