'It has to be now': This Ireland win was a genuine statement result

Mark it down and shout it loud, last night’s win for Ireland in Finland was the real deal

Ireland players, including captain Katie McCabe, centre, and Denise O'Sullivan, right, celebrate their victory in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifying group A match between Finland and Republic of Ireland at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Those prophetic words of Niamh Fahey must have been ringing in her team-mates’ ears as Ireland finally, belatedly, made a statement to arrest their major tournament drought.

“It has to be now,” warned Fahey, part of Arsenal’s dominant squad of a decade ago. “You can’t keep saying: ‘We’re building, we’re waiting’ — it has to be now. There’s no more time to talk, it has to be done.”