McCabe’s Ireland couldn’t upset Catley’s Australia on home turf in Women’s World Cup debut by Michelle
Unfortunately, Katie McCabe and her Ireland teammates couldn’t upset Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley’s Australia on their home turf in front of a record 75,784 fans; they were beaten 1-0.
The Girls in Green hoped to open their World Cup account with a win, but they needed help on their side. They managed to contain the Matildas in the first half. But early in the second, they conceded from the spot after an aggressive Marissa Sheva bundling over Hayley Raso saw Ireland concede a penalty that Steph Catley stepped up to take, belting it with her left foot into the left corner. Talking about her penalty conversion, Catley said, “Yeah, it was a big moment. I’ve been practising a lot, and I do like taking set pieces, so I take it like a set piece, take a breath, hit it where I want to hit it, and luckily it went in.”
The Irish tried to get into the game, missing several chances as the game went on. McCabe’s swinging corners couldn’t be converted, and when she got an opportunity to score in the dying minutes of the game, she failed as the Matildas’ goalie Mackenzie Arnold made an important save.
The Republic of Ireland need not be discouraged by the defeat and know they still have a shot at making history in this world cup, but must collect wins over Canada (a game in which McCabe will face Arsenal teammates Cloe Lacasse and Sabrina D’Angelo) and Nigeria to make history in their maiden World Cup.
Below are the current Group B standings after all team’s have played one game. After Canada drew 0-0 with Nigeria, both teams picked up one point, leaving Ireland at the bottom of the group table, for now:
COYGW!
Michelle Maxwell
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