Steph Catley ensured co-hosts Australia opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland — despite the absence of star striker and captain Sam Kerr.
Catley’s second-half penalty was enough to clinch three points for the Matildas in front of a record crowd of 75,784 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Republic of Ireland forward Amber Barrett hopes her side can draw on the Moroccan men’s example and defy their proudly-worn underdog status at the World Cup.
In October, Barrett was the woman who booked the Girls in Green’s trip to Australia and a maiden global showpiece when she netted the deciding goal with her first touch in the Republic’s 1-0 play-off victory, stunning Scotland at Hampden Park.
Republic of Ireland midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn believes footballers cannot shy away from the spotlight if they want to escalate the growth of the women’s game.
The 33-year-old is one of 23 women selected by manager Vera Pauw to represent the Republic in their first World Cup, a monumental moment that has drawn unprecedented attention to the team and individual players.
Defender Heather Payne says it is back to business as usual for the Republic of Ireland after a dramatic Friday night that saw their behind-closed-doors friendly with Colombia aborted and midfielder Denise O’Sullivan taken to hospital with a suspected shin injury.
The World Cup warm-up in Brisbane was abandoned after 20 minutes due to what the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) would later explain in a statement was as a result of it becoming “overly physical”.
Chloe Mustaki has not fully accustomed to the reality that in just three days she will walk out on the pitch at sold-out Stadium Australia as a member of the first Republic of Ireland squad to feature in a Women’s World Cup.
The 27-year-old’s extraordinary journey to this point has been down a road rife with obstacles, from her cancer diagnosis at the age of 19 to a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2020 and the lonely Covid-19 lockdown recovery that followed.
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