Toland and Barrett start but Ireland suffer defeat in Portugal

The Republic of Ireland women’s side suffered a narrow friendly defeat last night.
Colin Bell’s side lost 1-nil to Portugal in the Azores.
Donegal’s Amber Barrett and Tyler Toland started the game while Roma McLaughlin and Amy Boyle Carr were unused subsitutes.
Dolores Silva’s second-half penalty separated the two sides as the hosts claimed victory ahead of the second friendly this Sunday 21st.
Colin Bell handed Galway WFC defender Aislinn Meaney her senior international debut and also awarded Peamount United forward Heather Payne with her first start.
Republic of Ireland WNT Head Coach Colin Bell said: “We’re disappointed. I thought we were a bit flat tonight and didn’t perform to the levels I know we can perform to.
“It was a silly goal to give away as all we had to do was clear the ball but instead, we let them come back inside with it and we give away a penalty. If that doesn’t happen, there is no way we’re conceding a goal from open play so that’s really disappointing.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the rest of the week before Sunday’s second match. I want to see the levels improve and we’ll have to look at the starting line-up for that game.
“Of course, we’re already missing five key players due to injuries, who would be in our first-team, so we’ve got a number of young players in the squad. We’ll have to check the fitness of the players and have a look in training before making a decision.”