Ireland's World Cup dream over after heartbreaking loss to Canada
HEARTBREAK: Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe after the final whistle following her side's defeat in the World Cup match against Canada at Perth Rectangular Stadium. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
A fanbase drowned by rain and a team immersed in tears will characterise the pictures of Ireland’s premature World Cup exit.
The sleepy town of Perth was earlier been awoken by the cacophony of celebratory noise from Katie McCabe giving Ireland an early lead against the Olympic champions.
Canada were outplayed for 40 minutes, rescued only by a fortuitous Megan Connolly own-goal as the half slipped into stoppage time.
The next one would be crucial and the Maples grabbed it just seven minutes in by replicating what they’d been subjected to earlier, dragging opponents out of position from one side to another and availing of the lapses it caused.
Courtney Brosnan has kept Ireland level by shoveling Huitema’s 49th minute drive over the crossbar but they were undone by switching off at a routine set-piece.
From a throw-in on the left, powerhouse Quinn spotted Schmidt in space and the veteran’s slide-rule pass exposed a gap in the Irish defence which Adriana Leon exploited.
Once she’s ghosted in past Katie McCabe at the back post, the Manchester United forward required one touch to control and a second to prod the ball past the despairing Courtney Brosnan.
Not the first team to exit the tournament early – that tag fell to Zambia earlier – but Ireland’s exit will be confirmed from any result in tomorrow’s meeting of Australia and Nigeria in Brisbane – the same venue they meet the Africans on Monday.
By the 65th minute, each team were a shadow of what they started with. Vera Pauw has used up all of her complement whereas it was the treble-change by Bev Priestman at the break that swung the game in their favour.
Over 600 caps are shared between Shelina Zadorsky, Sophie Schmidt and Christine Sinclair and though their age profile makes them vulnerable, that weakness can translate to a straight when it comes to completing the job.
Experience was proving decisive as those that have been there and done it knew how to manage the game out. A yellow card incurred by Vanessa Gilles on the hour for throwing the ball away illustrated their intention to hold what they had.
A younger version of Sinclair might have converted one of the two chances that fell the 40-year-old’s way as Ireland became stretched.
The industrious Kyra Carusa, finally mastering the thankless job of ploughing a lone furrow up front, had Ireland’s best chance to equalise from a 64th minute McCabe centre, yet could keep her header down.
Earlier in happier times, history was made when the skipper took just three minutes and 38 seconds to fire the Girls in Green ahead – directly from a corner – with their first-ever tournament goal.
It was gold-standard technique worthy of any Olympian.
The in-swinger with her trusty left foot floated right over the limb swing of Kailen Sheridan’s hand and into the far corner left unguarded by Jordyn Huitema.
Sadly, they couldn’t hold the lead until half-time as Juventus star Julia Grosso also succeeded from an unlikely source, her cross eluding Louise Quinn but deflecting off the the retreating Megan Connolly to nestle in Brosnan’s far corner.
A second successive defeat following the narrow opening loss to Australia would eliminate Ireland from the World Cup with Monday’s final group B game against Nigeria to spare but they well deserved to be at least on terms at the break.
Mid-afternoon showers teeming in from the west coast of Australia reemerged just 30 minutes before kick-off when opposing manager Vera Pauw and Bev Priestman embraced at the centre-circle but the rains didn’t dampen the mood among the 17,000 fans dominated by the Ireland portion.
They’ve been treated to an Ireland performance similar to the bravery shown when taking the lead away to top seeds Sweden in the qualifiers.
Canada pipped the Swedes to Olympic supremacy two years ago in Tokyo but their demise since continued as they followed up the stalemate against Nigeria by failing to hardly lay a glove on Ireland until that later intervention.
Lucy Quinn, in for Marissa Sheva, warmed the crowd up just three minutes in by scampering down the right and crossing for Kyra Carusa to poke a close-range shot that was saved and then scrambled away for a corner by Sheridan.
She was left flapping in the wet night sky moments later to spark jubilant scenes. McCabe was entitled to remain unmoved on the spot, raise her arms and absorb the alchemy of joy from her teammates and supporters.
It wasn’t an isolated opening, as Sinead Farrelly’s sliced shot forced the goalkeeper to stoop low and turn the effort around the post. Denise O’Sullivan smashed a shot over from an identical distance later.
It took a Canadian side struggling to contain Carusa’s trickery up front until the half hour to force a corner.
The cleared delivery was recycled back into the box Kadeisha Buchanan flicked to her central-defensive teammate Vanessa Gilles to stab over.
Brosnan only had Huitema’s 22nd minute shot to easily deal with before they were undone by failing to cut out the cross-shot from the left touchline.
Not quite a dampener but a few more clouds than had seemed when McCabe sprinkled her golddust, ones that would darken shortly into the second half.
Courtney Brosnan; Áine O'Gorman (Marissa Sheva 57), Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Megan Connolly, Katie McCabe (capt); Ruesha Littlejohn (Lily Agg 65), Denise O’Sullivan; Lucy Quinn (Abbie Larkin 46), Sinead Farrelly (Izzy Atkinson 65); Kyra Carusa (Amber Barrett 65).
Kailen Sheridan; Jayde Riviere, Kadeisha Buchanan (Shelina Zadorsky 46), Vanessa Gilles, Ashley Lawrence; Quinn, Julia Grosso (Christine Sinclair 46); Adriana Leon (Cloe Lacasse 57), Jessie Fleming, Jordyn Huitema; Evelyn Viens (Sophie Schmidt 46).
Laura Fortunato (ARG).
17,055.
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