IRELAND VERSUS ENGLAND. It doesn’t get much bigger. In any sport, discipline or other capacity.
The Irish camp have done their best to downplay tonight’s blockbuster Euro 2025 qualifier at the Aviva Stadium.
Just another game, they say, as the European champions come to Dublin.
RTÉ certainly aren’t underselling it: this game takes the live TV slot, while the Champions League quarter-final meeting of Real Madrid and Manchester City has been demoted to the RTÉ Player and News Channel.
Nor are the public: over 30,000 tickets had been sold, as of yesterday, for The Return to Lansdowne Road and a first Ireland-England women’s showdown in 37 years.
When the sides last met in competitive fare in 1987, not a single player in either squad had yet been born.
Euro 1988, Italia 90, and the likes are but folklore and history.
“Men’s history,” as Ireland captain Katie McCabe pointed out while swerving talk of significance and rivalry.
“Youse can create whatever youse wanna create, but for us, it’s another game,” she told the media. “France [a 1-0 defeat] Friday was massive. Playing the European champions, massive.
“Each game is so big, so we have to remain focused on what we have to do, and youse can make the noise of any rivalry if yis want to do that. For us, it’s another stepping stone in order for us to try qualify for the Euros for the first time.”
Eileen Gleeson similarly warned against “any other narratives” as the Irish head coach and her skipper stuck to their well-worn line of being realistic in an incredibly difficult group.
“We are not talking about being inferior, we are talking about being realistic,” Gleeson stressed at one point.
“I don’t think it’s the first time an Irish team has been tagged as an underdog. We know we’re a smaller nation, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come and compete. We don’t ever speak about being inferior, we are realistic about the level of the opposition and then we adapt ourselves and use our own strengths within the squad to approach the game.”
For whatever the Fifa World Rankings are worth, England are second. Ireland are 25th.
In more quantifiable currency, the Lionesses won Euro 2022 outright and reached the 2023 World Cup final. Last summer in Australia was Ireland’s first major tournament appearance.
All but three players in England’s current squad play in the Women’s Super League. Barcelona duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh, and Georgia Stanway of Bayern Munich, are the exception to the rule.
The majority of Ireland’s players operate at Championship level. There’s 11 currently in the English second-tier, seven in the WSL, and eight across the US and elsewhere in Europe, including a sole representative in the Women’s Premier Division.
The gulf is undeniable — just as it was in the campaign opener against third-ranked France in Metz on Friday.
Ireland were always going to have to revert to an ultra-defensive 5-4-1 in a Group of Death featuring three of the world’s top six. Gleeson named several centre-halves in the XI against France: new recruit Anna Patten was catapulted in for her international debut alongside Louise Quinn and Caitlin Hayes, while she sprung a surprise by deploying Aoife Mannion at left-wing back. This allowed McCabe to push slightly higher in the most notable change from the Vera Pauw era.
They were under pressure from the first whistle — France’s winner came from a soft set-piece concession in the sixth minute — but a backs-to-the-wall defensive effort led by Courtney Brosnan held firm.
And while Ireland largely fed off scraps, they also let some golden opportunities slip through their fingers; substitute Leanne Kiernan will rue a poor decision not to square to the unmarked McCabe late on.
Ireland must take those chances if they are to secure results in this group. They have to be more composed in possession, and particularly, on the transition. “We have to stay in the game as long as we can before we can start to look to change anything and pick our moments,” Gleeson said.
A drastic overhaul to the starting team is unlikely. McCabe could indeed return to left-wing back, with Izzy Atkinson drafted in, while someone else may get the nod to play off Kyra Carusa. Ruesha Littlejohn, too, could freshen up the midfield.
While Emily Whelan has replaced Jess Ziu in the Ireland squad and question marks remain over Amber Barrett’s fitness, England are fully-fit. Euro 2022 winning captain Leah Williamson is set for her first start in a year as she makes her international return from an ACL injury. She may replace her fellow Arsenal centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy, as Wiegman will likely keep changes to a minimum.
There has been plenty of noise in the wake of their disappointing 1-1 draw with Sweden.
England typically dominated possession, but they were ultimately frustrated at Wembley Stadium. Alessia Russo — from whom “there is a lot more to come” — grabbed their goal after combining with the electric Lauren James, though Fridolina Rolfo’s equaliser means they have only kept two clean sheets in their last 12 games.
Can Ireland capitalise on this? They are yet to score in 2024, but when better than tonight against one of the best in the world in Mary Earps?
What about another famous 0-0 draw? Or will there be a sting in England’s tail as they come to Dublin?
Whatever happens, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.
