Australia 1-0 Republic of Ireland
Good morning,
Ireland’s debut in the Women’s World Cup is a little over one hour away.
And it’s been an eventful build up in Sydney.
Australia have confirmed that superstar striker Sam Kerr is OUT after picking up a calf injury in training yesterday.
SQUAD NOTE: Sam Kerr is unavailable tonight after she picked up a calf injury at training on MD-1. Sam will be unavailable for the next two matches with the Matildas Medical Team to re-assess her following our second group stage match.
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) July 20, 2023
As soon as Vera Pauw names her Ireland starting XI we will update you.
Fellow co-hosts New Zealand have just beaten Norway 1-0.
And here it is, the Ireland team that will face Australia.
STARTING XI | Australia v Ireland
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) July 20, 2023
Our line-up for our biggest game yet…
Katie McCabe captains us in our first @FIFAWWC game 🇮🇪#COYGIG | #OUTBELIEVE pic.twitter.com/UrJkQDzj1C
Vera Pauw has stuck with the same starting XI that played France in that send-off game in Tallaght Stadium.
Denise O’Sullivan, as expected, starts having suffered no setback in her recovery from a leg injury.
Katie McCabe will lead Ireland out.
Emma Duffy and Sinead O’Carroll are there for us to capture this historic occasion in Irish football.
The Sam Kerr news is beginning to set in.
It’s huge, although her replacement up front is a certain Mary Fowler.
The 20-year-old is a rising star for the Matildas and, just like Kerr, qualified to play for Ireland through her grandfather.
The Australia team in full:
STARTING XI 🗒
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) July 20, 2023
Here's how we line up for our #FIFAWWC opener against the Republic of Ireland!
⏰: 8:00pm AEST
📺💻📱: Channel 7 & Optus Sport#Matildas pic.twitter.com/gv6CVfiYE6
Just over 30 mins to kick-off.
Getting another coffee might not do much for the nerves.
Embrace the occasion…
Sinead O’Carroll got a sense of what this means to some of those Ireland fans Down Under while Emma Duffy has the match preview.
File this under ‘emotional content’:
Some messages of good luck from some Irish Legends 🇮🇪💚#COYGIG | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/1QmUsFKRxC
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) July 20, 2023
Richie Sadlier only short of throwing his pen across the couch on the RTÉ coverage.
They’re discussing Ireland’s preparations and the abandoned friendly with Colombia, which was cut short after 20 minutes when Denise O’Sullivan was taken to hospital with a leg injury.
Sadlier says it was “a slur” on the Ireland players when manager Vera Pauw said she saw “fear” in their eyes.
Karen Duggan agrees while Megan Campbell, who missed out on the squad due to injury, says maybe something was lost in translation.
The teams are in the tunnel…
Courtney Brosnan has a white towel flung over her shoulder.
Niamh Fahey and Megan Connolly are smiling.
Kick-off less than 10 minutes away.
Amhrán na bhFiann is being belted out at a World Cup.
There will be a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the gun attack in Auckland hours before the tournament got underway.
And Australia get the game underway.
2 mins: Ireland keeping the ball down the right in the Australia half.
3 mins: A very clear rendition of The Fields of Athenry from the Ireland fans in the Accor Stadium.
Australia put together a decent move out left but Heather Payne blocks the cross.
4 mins: A big switch of play from Australia but Niamh Fahey covers well and clears her lines.
Corner for the home side…
5 mins: And the corner is cleared with Ireland getting a throw on opposite side.
8 mins: Australia break well down the right and some nice link up play between Raso and Carpenter leads to a cross which is well cleared by Louise Quinn.
Ireland can’t get hold of the breaking ball to relieve pressure and the Maltidas regain possession.
11 mins: Katie McCabe sprints from her position at left wing back to put pressure in the middle. Ruesha Littlejohn backs her up with a sliding tackle.
Interesting to see if the Ireland captain continues to do that and leave space down her side.
14 mins: McCabe wins a breaking ball near the middle and drives forward, then stays in a forward central position.
Ireland having a decent spell here.
McCabe back out on left and cuts inside before being fouled by Hayley Raso. Chance for Ireland to get a free into the box…
15 mins: Not a great cross in but it’s kept alive and Australia look far from comfortable before eventually getting it clear.
17 mins: Australia win a corner but it comes to nothing.
20 mins: Australia win another corner after Caitlin Foord drags Niamh Fahey wide and cuts inside.
Ireland clear and after Australia lose possession there is a breakaway.
O’Sullivan sets McCabe away and her pass for Carusa is overhit with the Ireland striker in plenty of space.
A promising sign…
24 mins: Ireland have another nice spell on the ball but when Mary Fowler can get turned away from Ruesha Littlejohn it’s one of the few times the home crowd can get excited. Ireland smother the danger and re-group.
A solid start.
27 mins: Louise Quinn reads the danger again as Raso finds space on the right inside the box.
Corner Australia..
28 mins: Raso heads wide after another good delivery. Posts were covered so no danger but a free header.
30 mins: Ireland work a good opening. Cyra Carusa breaks forward and is waiting for support. Marissa Sheva joins her through the middle and Katie McCabe is bursting down the left. The pass inside to Sheva is tame and McCabe is raging as the space was there for her if the reverse pass could have been spotted.
32 mins: Australia win a free just inside the Ireland half and it’s cleared after Courtney Brosnan comes to collect through a sea of bodies and spills it wide.
Approaching the 35th minute and Ireland will be pretty happy with how this is going. Defended well without looking panicked. Australia have begun to probe a bit more, though.
39th minute: Break in play and it was a worry for Ireland.
Katie McCabe stayed down after stretching to clear the ball in a challenge with Ellie Carpenter. She gets treatment, has two of her fingers strapped up and is back on the pitch just in time to put in a crunching tackle on Hayley Raso.
This is a cracking battle between the two of them.
42 mins: Yellow card for Denise O’Sullivan. She wasn’t the one who committed the foul so perhaps it was her follow through, kicking the ball into the midriff of the Australian player on the ground.
45 mins: Oh no. VAR check for penalty. Handball in the Ireland box.
Oh yes: Check over. No peno.
Six minutes added on in this half. The Maltidas’ manager, Tony Gustavsson, highlighted yesterday how Ireland were vulnerable in the closing stages of the first and second halves.
He said he had spotted a trend.
Let’s see…
HALF-TIME: Australia 0-0 Ireland
A solid, organised first half from Vera Pauw’ side.
Chances at a premium for both sides.
The co-hosts came into the game for the last 15 minutes of the half but no way through Ireland’s backline.
Denise O’Sullivan looks composed in possession, Katie McCabe has been relentless with her work ethic, while Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey and Megan Connolly have been excellent at the back.
Get the feeling a set-piece will be Ireland’s only chance of a goal as they haven’t looked incisive enough on the counter attack.
A selection of action shots from that first half…
And the teams are back for the second half.
Ireland’s Kyra Carusa re-starts proceedings.
46 mins: No changes from either side at the break.
Just watch out for how things develop.
O’Sullivan is on a yellow and McCabe is on a mad one…
47 mins: All jokes side, McCabe pulls away from Carptener on left with a lovely swivel-turn. She’s brought down from behind but no yellow card. Odd one.
49 mins: Danger here…
Fowler drops into a pocket of space near the left, feeds Vine who cuts in and gets into the box. Shooting chance but Fahey is there and wins the free on the cover.
51 mins: PENALTY FOR AUSTRALIA.
52 mins: Australia 1-0 Ireland.
Catley converts from the penalty spot.
Nightmare start to the second half.
Sheva tracks the run of Raso who attemps to get on the end of a lofted pass. There is contact on the back and she goes down in the box. The referee points to the spot straight away.
Judge for yourself here:
No mistake from the spot as Catley slots into the top corner with her left foot.
59 mins: Ireland just need to settle down here a bit.
Australia are on the up and a second would end this as a contest.
Re-group and stay in the game for the next 10 minutes.
Louise Quinn takes the sting out of the momentum by taking a few moments to get treatment on the pitch.
63 mins: Double change for Ireland
Abbie Larkin and Lucy Quinn come on for Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva.
This should provide some more energy and threat in the final third.
71 mins: CHANCE IRELAND.
McCabe whips a great corner right under the posts but the referee blows for a foul as Carusa and Fahey challenge Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold
75 mins: Australia sub. Emily Van Egmond replaces Vine.
Ireland coming into it much more, forcing another corner with more pressure in final third.
Larkin has made a big difference.
77 mins: Ireland chance!
Scramble in the box and Heather Payne has a wild swing with the shot when the ball breaks 15 yards out.
Ireland well on top and force another corner from a cross into the box.
A distraught Marissa Sheva is consoled by Louise Quinn (left) and Katie McCabe after giving away the penalty.
80 mins: Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold goes down under a challenege from Louise Quinn after a Katie McCabe corner. Now they’re the ones taking the sting out of the game.
84 mins: It’s a very open game here now.
Fahey and Louise Quinn make two great blocks to keep Ireland alive in the game. Lucy Quinn then has a chance on the break but comes to nothing.
Katie McCabe puts in a dangerous cross from the right but it’s cleared again.
Australia bring on centre back Clare Polkinghorne for attacker Mary Fowler.
87 mins: Ireland change. Izzy Atkinson replaces Carussa.
She goes to left back, Louise Quinn is up top and Katie McCabe is moved forward on the left too.
90 mins: Chance Ireland… Free kick right on edge of the box.
Katie McCabe, the floor is yours…
Megan Connolly has form here too…. Think Finland… She’s there…
Six mins of injury time…
91 mins: SO CLOSE!
Connolly curls hit, touches the wall and inches over. Pressure still on…
Four minutes of injury time remaining…
93 mins: Abbie Larkin fires over the bar when the ball break from a free kick into the area…
Ireland keep working the ball. Long into area but Catley is down and the ref stops the game after a Lucy Quinn knockdown comes to nothing.
Drop ball, 30 seconds left.
And that’s that…
Full-time: Australia 1-0 Ireland.
Huge chance for Ireland to nick a draw at the death.
Abbie Larkin breaks down the right, pulls back for Katie McCabe but she can’t get the shot away on her left and only manages a tame effort with her right.
Moments later, a cross in from the right is met by Louise Quinn’s glancing header on the run. But it floats the wrong side of the post.
One goal from the penalty spot proves the difference.
Steph Catley made no mistake as co-hosts Australia get their campaign up and running.
Ireland had their chances to earn a draw but just lacked that crucial bit of class – and luck – in the final third.
Pauw’s side were definitely much more threatening once Abbie Larkin and Lucy Quinn were introduced.
Ireland sit botttom of Group B with Nigeria and Canada playing tomorrow.
Up next for Ireland will be Canada on Wednesday.
Until then…
