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Stephanie Roche is through to the final three of this year's Fifa Puskas Award

The Irish international will battle it out for the prize on 12 January.

IRELAND’S STEPHANIE ROCHE has beaten off competition from some of the world’s best footballers to make the final three of the Puskas Award.

The 25-year-old striker was nominated for Fifa’s goal of the year prize earlier this month thanks to an incredible volley she scored for Peamount United in the Women’s National League last October.

Public online voting closed this afternoon and, backed by a strong Twitter campaign, Roche was named alongside James Rodriguez and Robin van Persie in the final three.

They will travel to Zurich for the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony on 12 January, when the winner will be announced. If Roche wins, she will be both the first Irish player and the first female footballer to do so.

VOTING HAS RE-OPENED AND YOU CAN VOTE FOR STEPHANIE HERE

eileen gleeson / YouTube

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44 Comments
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    Mute Joe Bloggs
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:18 PM

    Brilliant

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    Mute Alan mulvey
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:40 PM

    Any link to vote again

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    Mute Alan mulvey
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:56 PM

    Its on FIFA. You can vote and if u delete your cookies on browser you can vote again

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    Mute Chris
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:11 PM

    You can see how open to rigging this vote is by just deleting your cookies or using a different device or IP address to vote again. I gave Stephanie my three votes!

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    Mute Mike O Neill
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:21 PM

    Vote rigging has given Russia and Qatar the World Cup; let’s rig the vote for one of our own for once!

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:23 PM

    Ordinarily I wouldn’t condone vote fixing, but using Mikes logic…….6 votes it is

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    Mute James Howley
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    Dec 1st 2014, 6:01 PM

    Can also use an incognito browser! Vote, rinse, repeat

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    Mute Tom Red
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:19 PM

    Fair play .
    absolutely brilliant if Stephanie won it..
    James and Robin are sh*tting themselves now.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Dec 1st 2014, 6:18 PM

    Really? When were you talking to them? It means more to her than it does to them.

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    Mute Eileen Jones
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:18 PM

    Wow well done Stephanie!

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    Mute James Maher
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:22 PM

    Well deserved. Really hope she wins it.

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    Mute MUFC
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:26 PM

    great stuff. fair play to her

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    Mute Very fond of
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:29 PM

    Fair play to her – deserves every accolade she gets.

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    Mute Grim Reaper
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:34 PM

    In all fairness she deserves to win with a goal like that.
    Best of luck on the 12th..

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    Mute Rob O'H
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:43 PM

    If Robbie Keane had done this the entire country would come to a standstill… fair play Stephanie!

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    Mute Paul Stephenson
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:51 PM

    Cracking goal! I’d say she won’t win though due to FIFA being dinosaurs as one commenter said and also that it’s only one camera and no other angles showing it. But fingers crossed she wins it, huge honour for just being nominated along with that company

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    Mute Zoe Kelly
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:42 PM

    Excellent stuff!!! It would be fantastic if she won!!! Come on Stephanie!!! She deserves every success!! x

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    Mute Diarmuid Danger Lenihan
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:22 PM

    Well done. Still doesn’t look right tho, women playing football.

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    Mute Paul Mallon
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:26 PM

    God your some dinosaur

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    Mute mcgoo
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:27 PM

    Trolling dipsh*t

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    Mute Dead Ball Browne
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:04 PM

    She plays better than most of those overpaid gobshi…s in the Premier league.

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    Mute Patrick Garvey
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    Dec 1st 2014, 6:00 PM

    With that comment I’m re-naming you. From Danger Lenihan to Langer Lenihan.

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    Mute Ann-Marie Wallis
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    Dec 1st 2014, 6:48 PM

    Mind the trolls!

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    Mute Grim Reaper
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:35 PM

    What is with the red thumbs????
    Some cretins in this world!!!!

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    Mute Rachel Walsh Howe
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:46 PM

    Fair play to her, fantastic goal and it would be amazing if she won!!

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    Mute Justin Cosgrove
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    Dec 1st 2014, 4:49 PM

    This is a great achievement for her.

    However I presume the final choice will go to a group of FIFA suits in a dark room somewhere. A we all know how FIFA is all about promoting women’s football, lower league football and shying away from anything that would promote big money players and clubs, I am sure her journey will end here.

    Even though her goal is technically better than the others Sepp and the boys will
    give the award to the multimillion euro transfer player (james) and make some b*llsh&t platitudes about Stephanie

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    Mute Chewey Bacca
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:17 PM

    I think it would be good PR for FIFA if she won it given recent troubles they are having. I’d like to think RVP and James wouldn’t begrudge her either but who knows !

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    Mute Honest Tom
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:32 PM

    I wouldn’t agree that’s it’s technically better than either of the other two goals, especially not The James Rodriguez one. Plus both the others were in the World Cup finals in high pressure games against world class defenders.

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    Mute Diarmuid O'Connor
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:34 PM

    Man united fans need to stop voting for rvp.

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    Mute frank mullen
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:32 PM

    How do u strike the ball so cleanly – unreal get voting people !!!

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    Mute von
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:38 PM

    Every time i see Stephanie’s goal i want to cry, it was brilliant and i hope she wins Allez Stephanie Allez.

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    Mute Shane Kearney
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:18 PM

    Her and James’ goals are worth their place in the top three, but I’m surprised RVP made it in.

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    Mute John Collins
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    Dec 1st 2014, 6:29 PM

    Everyone vote for her: http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/puskas-award/ all you have to do is press “vote” beneath her picture. Only takes 2 seconds.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Dec 1st 2014, 7:06 PM

    Voted! Thanks for the link(s)!

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    Mute Charles J. Ahern
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:04 PM

    Congrats Steph, a fine goal from a Fianna Failer. Expect a cumman to be named after her when the phoenix rises.

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Dec 1st 2014, 5:24 PM

    Always one

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Dec 1st 2014, 11:14 PM

    I’d almost guarantee that the other two wouldn’t mind losing to her.

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    Mute eVeLyN hUgHeS
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    Dec 1st 2014, 10:58 PM

    Brilliant and a lovely girl ‘to boot’ ⚽️

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    Mute Padraig Looby
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    Dec 1st 2014, 7:08 PM

    This story is a fairytale!

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    Mute Suzy Mooney
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    Dec 1st 2014, 10:39 PM

    Well done Stephanie! Now all you have to do is beat Robin and James, then the Pukas is all yours

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    Mute James Hickey
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    Dec 2nd 2014, 3:20 AM

    I think we should of played her upfront on the boys school football team. We probably would of won a few matches

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    Mute Patrick Lawlor
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    Dec 1st 2014, 11:50 PM

    That was an awesome goal as was her foot control

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    Mute KeiKe
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    Dec 2nd 2014, 8:36 AM

    Best of the lot hope she wins,best of luck

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    Mute Callum Donnelly
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    Dec 1st 2014, 9:38 PM

    How did RVP make it in ahead of Kasami. Kasami was the best of the lot.

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