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| During the women's match Ireland Albania held in Dublin |
The Albanian women's national team faced off against the Republic of Ireland on Friday night in their second Women's Nations League Group B1 match, held at the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. The match concluded with a victory for the home team, Ireland, with a score of 5-1.
Albania's coach, Armir Grima, set up the following starting lineup: Rexhepi, Curraj, Hila, Maliqi, Metalla, Franja, Gjini, Berisha, Krasniqi, Doçi, and Maksuti.
Ireland quickly took the lead, with Katie McCabe scoring the opening goal. After receiving the ball in the box, McCabe unleashed a precise left-footed strike, finding the back of the net. Albania reacted swiftly, equalizing the score at 1-1 in the 7th minute. Megi Doçi managed to score a beautiful goal after a well-executed cross from Curraj.
Nevertheless, Ireland reclaimed the lead in the 26th minute through McCabe. Despite several attempts by the Albanian women in the remainder of the first half, the score remained 2-1.
In the second half, both teams continued to push for goals. Coach Grima made his first substitution by introducing striker Mimoza Hamidi for Mikaela Metalla. In the 56th minute, Kyra Carusa extended Ireland's lead to 3-1 following an assist from McCabe.
In the 59th minute, Carusa repeated her earlier feat, scoring her second goal of the match. Finally, in the 81st minute, McCabe completed her hat-trick, sealing the final score at 5-1. In the remaining minutes, the Albanian women made efforts to narrow the goal difference against the stronger Irish team but without success.