Gorman on brink of soccer history

Date Published: 24-Jun-2010

Keith Kelly

BARNA teenage soccer sensation Dora Gorman is hoping to become only the second Galway player to pick up a major international football trophy when she leads out the Irish girls’ U17 side tomorrow to take on Spain in the final of the U17 European Championships in Switzerland.

Newcastle’s Ryan Casey was a member of Brian Kerr’s squad that won the boys’ U18 European Championships in Cyrpus in 1998, but Gorman (17) is looking to go one better and captain a successful Irish side, and having beaten red-hot favourites Germany in the semi-final on Tuesday, no-one will back against the Girls in Green tomorrow.

Speaking to Tribune Sport from the squad hotel in Nyon yesterday, Gorman said that no one associated with the game had given the Irish side chance of beating Germany on Tuesday, but that win would count for little if they could not finish the job and clinch the title tomorrow.“

Were we surprised to have beaten Germany? It is hard to say, I know everyone else was, but we have a good squad, we beat Sweden – who would be very strong – and England already, and we went into the game with great confidence.

“It was an amazing feeling though when the (full-time) whistle went, and we are confident we can beat Spain, who Germany beat 7-0 in the final last year,” she said. The win on Tuesday needs to be put in context to fully appreciate the achievement of Noel King’s starlets: this is the third running of the girls U17 European Championships, with the Germans winning the two previous stagings of the competition.

Going into Tuesday’s game, the holders were unbeaten in Europe at U17 level for three years, a staggering run of 22 games, and they had scored 19 goals without reply in their six qualifying games for this year’s tournament.

Spain had beaten the Netherlands in the day’s earlier semi-final, and they had turned up pitch-side to check out their opponents in the final, fully expecting the Germans to emerge for a rerun of last year’s final.However the Irish had other ideas, and Megan Campbell’s stunning 30 yard free-kick two minutes form half time was enough to send the Republic of Ireland through to the final.“

The four teams are all staying in the same hotel so we have seen some of the other girls around, and I think everyone looks shocked that we beat Germany. All the focus now, though, is on Saturday’s final, a lot of parents are over here, and a delegation from the FAI is coming out as well,” she said.

The teams had a ‘downtime’ day on Wednesday, and all went bowling together, as well as visiting the UN building in Geneva. However it was back to work yesterday, with a light training session held, and it will be the same today.

“It is getting very warm here now so that is difficult, but we will train at the time the game is to be played so can get used to it. It is just light stuff really, running, stretching and a bit of ball work, as all the hard work has been done.

“There is a great buzz in the camp, everyone is really relaxed and obviously we are all very proud of getting to the final and hopefully we can win it on Saturday,” she said. As well as reaching tomorrow’s final, the win over Germany has also ensured automatic qualification for the squad for the U17 World Cup, which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago in September, but that might bring problems of an unexpected nature for the Irish girls.“