Irish beat Slovakia to reach play-off second round
The Republic of Ireland took another step towards securing World Cup qualification for the first time by beating Slovakia in their final qualifier to ensure a spot in the second round of the playoffs.
Denise O'Sullivan's well-taken 37th-minute strike proved decisive as the Irish backed up Thursday’s victory over Finland in Dublin with another vital win.
The Republic can now look forward to a one-legged second-round play-off match on 11 October.
With Belgium, Serbia and Austria having dropped points over the weekend, the Republic went into Tuesday's game in Senec knowing that a win would seal their place in the second stage as one of the three best second-place finishers of the nine that reached the playoffs.
And while they were often frustrated by a physical Slovakian outfit, O'Sullivan's fifth goal of the qualifying campaign ensured Vera Pauw's side edged closer to reaching next summer's finals in Australia and New Zealand.
With Slovakia offering little attacking threat, the Republic enjoyed large spells in possession but struggled to create chances during a scrappy opening 30 minutes.
Diane Caldwell had the visitors' first clear opening after 33 minutes when she fired wide after Louise Quinn's knocked-down header from a corner.
But the Republic only needed another four minutes for the all-important goal as O'Sullivan confidently swept Heather Payne's cross into the Slovakian net, sparking jubilant scenes among the players in orange.
After the break, the Republic chased a second as they looked to put the game beyond their hosts, but it proved elusive as Katie McCabe sent a looping volley just over the bar before Claire O'Riordan saw an effort cleared off the line.
While Slovakia caused the Republic problems when the sides drew 1-1 last November, the hosts failed to put the Irish defence under sufficient pressure as Pauw's side comfortably held on to boost their chances of progressing through the convoluted play-off system.
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