Katie McCabe broke the deadlock and Denise O’Sullivan saw a last-gasp effort cleared off the line as Ireland were denied a memorable start against Group A2′s top seeds.
“I’m gutted, I feel like someone’s stabbed me in the heart,” Ward told her post-match press conference, her attention immediately turning to another big hitter as they face Netherlands away on Saturday.
Advertisement
“If you’re gutted coming on the back of a defeat against one of the best in the world, it probably tells you that I feel like we should have got more from it.
“But I’ve said to them at the end they’ve got to be so proud of each other. We can’t feel disappointed. We’ve got to straight away look at the Netherlands, get on with it. We’ve shown we can compete, take heart. I would be taking a lot of heart from that.
“And actually, when they wake up in the morning, they’ll realise that they’ve competed with one of the best teams in the world.
“Now we’ve got to go and do it again, which is tough, mentally and physically that’s tough. But they’ve showed they can do it. Now we’ve got to do it again.”
Ireland’s star duo Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan emerged as injury concerns during a bruising encounter. O’Sullivan is struggling with an ongoing knee issue, while McCabe picked up a “slight niggle” in the first half.
“She was struggling to accelerate after that, but you wouldn’t have known because Katie’s Katie and she does a terrific job,” said Ward of her captain.
Both played the full game, but O’Sullivan may be more of a worry as it’s a persistent issue. The Liverpool midfield maestro will be assessed tonight.
“Denise, of course, wants to stay on the pitch every minute of every day. That’s just Denise. She’s so important to us, but equally we don’t want to risk her. So, there was a conversation with the medical team because she’s got an ongoing niggle in her knee.
“I don’t know if she’ll be a doubt for the weekend, but yeah, she certainly didn’t want to come off.”
Ward was full of praise for her side, who turned in an encouraging performance as they opened their bid to reach back-to-back World Cups in front of a record Tallaght crowd.
“I’d like to know who were the last team to have 11 shots on target against France. (Manager Laurent Bonadei) said to me at the end, ‘Best team we’ve played in a very long time. The fight, the way you controlled the game without the ball,’ which is funny because we spoke a lot about that over this last week: How do we control the game without the ball? I’m not sure many teams get that many opportunities against France.
“We spent all year trying to develop a style with the ball and a confidence and a belief without the ball. I’m just delighted that we’ve managed to showcase that tonight. We can compete with the very best… I said to the group that if we continue to do that, then we’ll get to where we want to get to, which is the World Cup.
Related Reads
'I don’t think you’ll find a nation who work as hard as we do'
Man United super sub stars as Ireland undone by France in opening World Cup qualifier
“But it’s a tough one to take tonight. It hurts. It stings. You can see it on everybody’s face.”
The Dutch were held to a 2-2 draw by Poland earlier this evening, a result which blows Group A2 wide open. Ward watched the first 60 minutes on the bus to Tallaght, with Utrecht the next destination on Saturday night.
“Poland were excellent. Netherlands were exactly what we expected them to be. They’ve played on a heavy pitch tonight. We’ve played on a heavy pitch tonight. I think it’ll be interesting how both teams react. They’ll be disappointed too, I’m sure. We have to be ready.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Carla Ward: 'I'm gutted, I feel like someone's stabbed me in the heart'
DISAPPOINTMENT AND PRIDE were the overriding emotions for Carla Ward after Ireland’s gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat to France.
Manchester United super sub Melvine Malard broke Irish hearts in an eight-minute salvo which ultimately settled the opening 2027 World Cup qualifier at Tallaght Stadium.
Katie McCabe broke the deadlock and Denise O’Sullivan saw a last-gasp effort cleared off the line as Ireland were denied a memorable start against Group A2′s top seeds.
“I’m gutted, I feel like someone’s stabbed me in the heart,” Ward told her post-match press conference, her attention immediately turning to another big hitter as they face Netherlands away on Saturday.
“If you’re gutted coming on the back of a defeat against one of the best in the world, it probably tells you that I feel like we should have got more from it.
“But I’ve said to them at the end they’ve got to be so proud of each other. We can’t feel disappointed. We’ve got to straight away look at the Netherlands, get on with it. We’ve shown we can compete, take heart. I would be taking a lot of heart from that.
“And actually, when they wake up in the morning, they’ll realise that they’ve competed with one of the best teams in the world.
“Now we’ve got to go and do it again, which is tough, mentally and physically that’s tough. But they’ve showed they can do it. Now we’ve got to do it again.”
Ireland’s star duo Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan emerged as injury concerns during a bruising encounter. O’Sullivan is struggling with an ongoing knee issue, while McCabe picked up a “slight niggle” in the first half.
“She was struggling to accelerate after that, but you wouldn’t have known because Katie’s Katie and she does a terrific job,” said Ward of her captain.
Both played the full game, but O’Sullivan may be more of a worry as it’s a persistent issue. The Liverpool midfield maestro will be assessed tonight.
“Denise, of course, wants to stay on the pitch every minute of every day. That’s just Denise. She’s so important to us, but equally we don’t want to risk her. So, there was a conversation with the medical team because she’s got an ongoing niggle in her knee.
“I don’t know if she’ll be a doubt for the weekend, but yeah, she certainly didn’t want to come off.”
Ward was full of praise for her side, who turned in an encouraging performance as they opened their bid to reach back-to-back World Cups in front of a record Tallaght crowd.
“I’d like to know who were the last team to have 11 shots on target against France. (Manager Laurent Bonadei) said to me at the end, ‘Best team we’ve played in a very long time. The fight, the way you controlled the game without the ball,’ which is funny because we spoke a lot about that over this last week: How do we control the game without the ball? I’m not sure many teams get that many opportunities against France.
“We spent all year trying to develop a style with the ball and a confidence and a belief without the ball. I’m just delighted that we’ve managed to showcase that tonight. We can compete with the very best… I said to the group that if we continue to do that, then we’ll get to where we want to get to, which is the World Cup.
“But it’s a tough one to take tonight. It hurts. It stings. You can see it on everybody’s face.”
The Dutch were held to a 2-2 draw by Poland earlier this evening, a result which blows Group A2 wide open. Ward watched the first 60 minutes on the bus to Tallaght, with Utrecht the next destination on Saturday night.
“Poland were excellent. Netherlands were exactly what we expected them to be. They’ve played on a heavy pitch tonight. We’ve played on a heavy pitch tonight. I think it’ll be interesting how both teams react. They’ll be disappointed too, I’m sure. We have to be ready.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ireland WNT Reaction Soccer