Barrett makes an appearance as Ireland seal third at Pinatar Cup

Amber Barrett was a late substitute as the Republic of Ireland Women's National Team recorded a 1-0 win over Wales to finish in third place in the Pinatar Cup.

Barrett, who plays for FC Köln in Germany, came on in the 85th minute. Having beaten Poland and narrowly losing to Russia, Vera Pauw's team were moved to the Pinatar Arena for this Play-Off game that Ireland deservedly won thanks to Denise O'Sullivan's goal.

Inside the opening five minutes, Kyra Carusa was presented with a fantastic opportunity to break the deadlock when tipping the ball past Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark but her shot from an angle hit the side netting.

Carusa would go close again, this time with a header when meeting a corner kick, while Wales star Jess Fishlock saw an effort from distance blocked by Niamh Fahey. On 25 minutes, O'Sullivan was quickest to react to a loose ball on the edge of the area and she smashed in a superb strike to record her 17th senior goal.

Niamh Fahey should have made it 2-0 just before the interval when she found herself unmarked at a corner kick but the Centurion headed over the bar. Teenager Abbie Larkin replaced Carusa at the start of the second period and it was more of the same from Ireland as they rolled out their controlled game-plan - working on both sides of the ball.

Wales tried their luck from distance on 55 minutes when captain Sophie Ingle unloaded a shot but it clipped the crossbar and went over, not troubling goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.  Pauw's team looked sharp on the attack with McCabe fizzing a shot wide and Larkin taking aim from around 25 yards out. Then Lucy Quinn headed over 84 minutes from inside the penalty area.

This was the type of performance that Pauw wanted from her players and it should aid their preparation for their next FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifier away to Sweden in April.