- Macdara Ferris
- Thu, Jul 06 2023
Macdara Ferris reports from Tallaght Stadium
It was a damp farewell send off for the Girls in Green ahead of the World Cup when they went down 3-0 to France at a wet Tallaght Stadium on Thursday evening on the eve of their flight to Australia.
The fates weren’t in Ireland’s favour in the first half as they somehow found themselves two goals down at the break and without their talismanic skipper Katie McCabe who was withdrawn due to a rolled ankle.
The Girls in Green were certainly a match in the opening half against a French team ranked fifth in the world - 17 places higher than Ireland - and only for a dubious offside call the home team should have been a goal up after 11 minutes.
Kyra Carusa ran onto a flicked header from Sinéad Farrelly, who was starting her first international in Ireland, and slotted home only for the flag to go up much to the disappointment of the near capacity crowd – a record attendance for a women’s international in Ireland of 7,633.
Vera Pauw has set out her team as expected with a back five with Heather Payne and McCabe as wingbacks and Farrelly and Denise O’Sullivan being the creative engines in the middle of the park.
Farrelly and the busy Marissa Sheeva harassed Les Bleues throughout and looked to force the French into errors.
A quarter of an hour in, worrying signs for Ireland was seeing their skipper go down after catching her foot in the turf and rolling her ankle.
She took a couple of painkillers and played on for another ten or so minutes before being replaced by Izzy Atkinson.
On a couple of occasions, Courtney Brosnan raced out of her goal to prevent French chances. On 25 minutes it allowed Selma Bacha take a shot on goal from an acute angle wide on the lfet with the ball hitting the side netting only.
At the other end Ireland forced a number of corners that went in on top of Pauline Peyraud-Magnin but the French netminder got crucial touches to push the ball into safe areas for the French.
Two quick fire goals in first half injury time though were costly for Ireland and not a reward for their fine performance.
First Maelle Lakrar slotted home from inside the six yard box. She had got by Izzy Atkinson on the right and when Payne cut out her centre it came back to her and she was ruthless with the finish from close range.
Then Lyon’s Eugenie Le Sommer smashed home a right foot effort that came from a throw conceded when Brosnan came out of her goal.
The French found a third just after the hour mark when Lakrar got her second. Her header from a corner beat both Brosnan and the retreating Niamh Fahey as she looked to get back on the goal line.
It was a more pedestrian affair in the second half with the atmosphere sucked out of Tallaght after the third French goal and the numerous substitutions that peppered the game as both managers looked to give their squad game time ahead of the tournament down under.
Thankfully there didn't seem to be any more injuries in what was a decent run out against Herve Renard's team who are likely to go long in the tournament down under.
The Irish team fly out to Australia on Friday and will play Colombia in a behind-closed-doors game in Brisbane ahead of their fixture on the opening day of the World Cup against the hosts Australia in Sydney.
Republic of Ireland Women: Courtney Brosnan; Heather Payne (Aine O'Gorman 70), Niamh Fahey (Claire O'Riordan 69), Louise Quinn, Megan Connolly (Diane Caldwell 80), Katie McCabe (Izzy Atkinson 31); Ruesha Littlejohn (Lily Agg 70), Sinead Farrelly (Abbie Larkin 80), Denise O'Sullivan, Marissa Sheva; Kyra Carusa.
Subs not used: Megan Walsh, Grace Moloney, Chloe Mustaki, Lucy Quinn, Ciara Grant, Amber Barrett.
Booked: None
France Women: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin; Maelle Lakrar (Eve Perisset 74), Estelle Cascarino, Wendie Renard ©, Sakina Karchaoui (Viviane Asseyi 84); Grace Geyoro (Amel Majri 84), Sandie Toletti, Kenza Dali (Elisa De Almeida 59); Kadidiatou Diani (Clara Matéo 59), Eugenie Le Sommer (Naomie Feller 74), Selma Bacha.
Subs not used: Constance Picaud, Solene Durand, Laurina Fazer, Lea Le Garrec, Vicki Becho.
Booked: Estelle Cascarino (13).
Referee: Kirsty Dowle (England).
Attendance: 7,633
extratime.com Player of the Match: Maelle Lakrar (France)
