Republic of Ireland 0
Wales 2
A RECORD CROWD, but a night to forget for Eileen Gleeson’s Ireland.
Dermot Kennedy’s lyrics, “Better days are coming”, rang out around Tallaght Stadium at the final whistle. Take from that what you wish.
This was a rude awakening in Ireland’s final international friendly before April’s European Championship qualifiers, and a mis-step after an impressive 0-0 draw away to Italy.
Ireland fell to their first defeat in nine games, a run stretching back to the 2-1 loss to Canada at the World Cup, as they were undone by an impressive Wales side in front of 8,218 fans.
Jess Fishlock and Lily Woodham scored early goals for the visitors, who are eight places below Ireland at 32nd in the Fifa Women’s World Rankings. This was Jon Grey’s final game in interim charge of the Welsh, with Rhian Wilkinson named as Gemma Grainger’s successor last night. While Ireland earned promotion to League A of the Nations League in the Autumn, Wales dropped down so were out to prove a point through a fiery, physical contest.
Ireland were shellshocked in a dreadful first half, which ultimately brought Gleeson’s unbeaten run to a grim end. Perhaps tactical changes and injuries caught up with them: Denise O’Sulliavan was among the midfield cohort missing, while Katie McCabe limped off sheepishly in the latter stages.
Jess Ziu was a bright spark, and Caitlin Hayes dug Ireland out of further holes, but other positives were few and far between.
Gleeson made three changes from Italy, one of them enforced at the eleventh hour. Niamh Fahey aggravated her quad in the warm-up, so Diane Caldwell started, while Leanne Kiernan and Amber Barrett were handed chances in attack. Gleeson stuck with her back four from Florence, and the formation was 4-3-3 for much of a poor first half.
Wales settled quickly and had threatened on several occasions before their first goal in the seventh minute. Playing in their familiar 3-4-3, they piled on the pressure and Hayes was forced into some last-ditch clearances with Ireland at sixes and sevens.
They were just that when they struggled to deal with corner, and the lively Fishlock turned home her 40th international goal to hand Wales the dream start:
Ireland 0-1 Wales
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 27, 2024
From a corner in the seventh minute the ball makes its way to Jess Fishlock and she nets her 40th international goal
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Ireland were rocked by the early concession, and Wales continued to turn the screw. Rachel Rowe caused havoc with some wicked deliveries and Elise Hughes really should have done better when she headed over from a corner.
The hosts were horribly disjointed and made basic errors, but any positive play early on came down the left. McCabe, Ruesha Littlejohn and Kiernan occasionally linked up well, the latter nestling a cross-cum-shot on the roof of the net. Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark, and unfortunately, Littlejohn, kept Ireland out in the 16th minute after a McCabe corner. The Irish midfielder blocked Hayes’ header before Clark stopped Barrett’s follow-up shot.
Six minutes later, Wales were 2-0 up. After McCabe lost the ball, Roberts eventually squared and an unmarked Woodham fired home after a speculative, but brilliant, touch from the troublesome Hughes.
Ireland 0-2 Wales
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 27, 2024
22 minutes again and Lily Woodham doubles Wales' lead - the left-back with a fine finish
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The visitors kept the upper hand through a chaotic, transitional second quarter. Ireland were off-colour, and they took full advantage. Gleeson’s side were overrun in midfield, carved open in defence, and offered little in the final third.
They probed down the right as the half wore on, with Ziu prominent, but nothing seemed to go their way. Kiernan fluffed her lines at a snapshot in the box, which summed up the opening period.
The Liverpool striker, Barrett and Caldwell were hooked at the break, with debutant Emily Murphy, Kyra Carusa and Louise Quinn introduced. Ireland immediately looked better, reverting to three at the back — Quinn and Megan Connolly joined Hayes — and Carusa and Murphy up top. Quinn, returning from a shoulder injury, steadied the ship, and Ireland began to string half-chances together.
Carusa glanced over, Murphy had a penalty shout waved on, and Littlejohn shot in anger, but in truth, Wales looked more likely to score again, with Hughes in electric form, and they bullied their hosts across the park.
The end-game was stop-start and scrappy: McCabe departed, Carusa and Brosnan shipped heavy knocks, and Quinn stepped up with a big challenge.
In Ireland’s last sniff of goal, Hayes headed over from a Connolly corner, though many minds had wandered to next Tuesday’s Euro 2026 qualification draw at that stage.
A night to forget, but better days are coming?
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Courtney Brosnan; Heather Payne, Caitlin Hayes, Diane Caldwell (Louise Quinn HT), Katie McCabe (Izzy Atkinson 73); Jess Ziu, Jessie Stapleton (Lily Agg 88), Megan Connolly, Leanne Kiernan (Emily Murphy HT); Ruesha Littlejohn; Amber Barrett (Kyra Carusa HT).
WALES: Olivia Clark; Rhiannon Roberts (Charlotte Estcourt 63), Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans; Josephine Green, Angharad James (Ceri Holland 63), Sophie Ingle, Lily Woodham (Ella Powell 63); Jess Fishlock (Lois Joel 81), Rachel Rowe (Carrie Jones 72), Elise Hughes (Kayleigh Barton 82).
Referee: Frida Mia Klarlund (Denmark).
