AFTER A 3-0 defeat to France in last night’s farewell friendly, Vera Pauw and some of her Republic of Ireland squad depart for the World Cup today.
The rest will follow suit to Australia tomorrow as the final countdown to the Girls In Green’s first-ever major tournament well and truly begins.
“Half of the group fly on Saturday because there’s not enough business class seats on the flight,” Pauw explained after last night’s game at Tallaght Stadium.
“There’s a family brunch for all at the hotel tomorrow and then we go to the airport.”
Brisbane is the first destination for the 23-strong squad and three training players.
Ireland base themselves there ahead of Group B showdowns against the Matildas in Sydney (20 July), Canada in Perth (26 July) and Nigeria back on the Gold Coast (31 July). A behind-closed-doors game against Colombia is pencilled in for next Friday.
Last night was all about France, though, the fifth-ranked team in Fifa’s world rankings eventually firing on all cylinders. Two first-half injury-time goals and another in the 61st minute undid Ireland’s encouraging start in front of a record attendance.
An injury scare to captain Katie McCabe also spoiled the send-off, while allegations against Pauw from her time at Houston Dash in 2018 overshadowed the occasion.
But the manager remained positive afterwards.
“I’m very proud and we’ve performed at a very high level for Ireland,” Pauw enthused. “Especially the first half, the way we started, it was phenomenal. The best half that we played against a higher opposition so far. We keep on improving and improving.
“You can see, we don’t have to hide ourselves, that Katie and a few others are very important. We don’t have the depth in that level, that world-class category like France has. When they got fresh legs on, for us, it became very, very difficult.
“Katie, it’s a blow but I hope things are okay. We don’t know. I don’t know more than you do because I’ve not been in the dressing room. The doctor has to see it and have the first assessment still.”
“But I was really, really impressed,” she added.
“We were actually playing an even game against France and that is a huge compliment and nobody would have expected it. You make individual mistakes if you, for the first time, play under that level against that high opposition, and that is what happened.
“That is why you play these games, because you need to make these mistakes to learn from it. And it will not happen against Australia. That will not happen at the World Cup now. I’m happy it happened because that makes everybody sharp and aware that you can’t just do this.”
Kyra Carusa thought she had handed Ireland the perfect start, but her 11th-minute goal was controversially chalked off for offside.
“I would say that I was 100 per cent onside,” the Player of the Match conceded. “I know sometimes as a striker you’re walking the tight rope, you’re playing as tight as you can. I haven’t seen it yet, I know that’s what I’ve been told.
“As a striker, I’m always onside. No further questions! That being said, you need to put that goal away because in the World Cup there is VAR and that’s a goal.
“It definitely wasn’t the result you want to see, you don’t want to look at the scoreboard and see 3-0. Then again, I think that out there, especially in the first 45 minutes, there was so much that I was so impressed with with the girls on this team and the way that we have changed our style of play and trusting with each other.”
The record crowd of 7,633 pleased both Pauw and Carusa, especially after fixtures against Zambia and Finland being “sold out” but falling short of a landmark attendance.
“That’s big time,” US-born London City Lionesses striker Carusa beamed. “You can quote that. That is big time.
“A send-off of all send-offs. To bring a top-five team to Tallaght, and to be welcomed by such an impressive and supportive crowd, incredible fans that have backed us for long… oh my gosh the growth is unbelievable. It really is electric and it makes it extra special. Thank you to everyone who made that happen.”
“I was looking at the opposite side and thought, ‘No gaps, everybody’s turned up.’ In this weather, so proud of all those kids and their parents and the teams and everybody that supported us,” Pauw added, also paying tribute to the first WNT of 1973 who provided a guard of honour before kick-off.
“Those legends they started it, we’re standing on their shoulders, so it was so nice. They were enjoying themselves so much and they fully deserve it.”