Four West Ham United women’s team players were in action on Tuesday evening as the final round of UEFA Women’s Nations League fixture came to an end.
Jessie Stapleton earned her second cap for Republic of Ireland as they made sure they navigated Group B1 with a 100 per cent record, smashing Northern Ireland 6-1 at Windsor Park.
Both Stapleton and fellow Hammer Izzy Atkinson were named on the substitutes bench by manager Eileen Gleeson, as the Girls in Green produced a ruthless performance against their neighbours.
After an even start to the contest, the Republic burst into life with two well-taken goals in two minutes from Lucy Quinn and Heather Payne.
They then dominated the second half with two more quick goals just after the restart, the first a deft header from Kyra Carusa and the second was the pick of the bunch, a stunning strike from captain Katie McCabe.
Louise Quinn and Caitlin Hayes headed home from corners, either side of substitute Kerry Beattie pulling a goal back for the home side.
Stapleton then came off the bench on 63 minutes, while Atkinson played the final nine minutes of normal time in Belfast.
Elsewhere, Viviane Asseyi and France left it late to beat Portugal 1-0 at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa.
A driving run from Vicki Bècho saw her pick out Grace Geyoro at the back post, with the midfielder managing to steer the ball into the back of the net to take all three points.
Asseyi played 62 minutes of the contest in Leiria, Portugal, being replaced by Manchester United’s Melvine Malard.
France will now prepare for their Nations League semi-final fixture, which will take place in February 2024.
Lisa Evans and Scotland suffered a disappointing end to their Nations League campaign, as they were trounced 6-0 by England at Hampden Park.
With relegation to Group B already confirmed, Scotland were hoping to produce an improved display and pick up their first win, however, the European Champions had too much quality for them and England went ahead after a looping header from Alex Greenwood found the net.
Lauren James then scored a double before Beth Mead marked her return to international action with a goal, all before half time.
The onslaught continued after the break, with Fran Kirby notching, before Lucy Bronze added a sixth in second half stoppage time. Evans played the full 90 minutes in the defeat.
Also in Group A1, Amber Tysiak was an unused substitute as Belgium were beaten 4-0 by the Netherlands at Koning Willem II Stadion in Tilburg.
The Netherlands dominated proceedings, with Lineth Beerensteyn and Damaris Egurrola grabbing a brace each to send their country top of the standings at the expense of England.
They sealed a place in the semi-finals alongside the aforementioned France, as well as Spain and Germany.
