England victory hands Pauw's Ireland major World Cup play-off boost

Euro winners booked their place at next year's finals and in the process put Ireland in command of their playoff destiny.

DELIGHT: England's Leah Williamson celebrates as they secure qualification for the World Cup finals with a win in Austria.

VERA Pauw's Republic of Ireland could be just 180 minutes away from reaching next year’s World Cup after a hat-trick of results elsewhere dodged them a playoff semi-final.

While Thursday’s 1-0 win over Finland guaranteed Ireland their first playoff for the tournament, they need favours from other nations to secure a bye past the first phase.