Carla Ward said Ireland’s late defeat to Netherlands was ‘sickening’, promising the benefits will be seen in the remainder of the campaign. Zero points from this opening double-header of the World Cup campaign doesn’t tell the full story as Ireland had their moments to eke out a draw in each. “It’s tough to take - sickening really,” said Ward after Lineth Beerensteyn’s winning goal eight minutes from full-time in Utrecht. “The players executed the gameplan and I thought about us winning the game after we equalised. “We should take massive pride from these two displays and push on to the next level,” added Newcastle United forward Murphy.
