Landmark win in Cork a huge boost for Gleeson's Ireland
Republic of Ireland head coach Eileen Gleeson speaks to her players after the game with France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
From seeking to claim a point, Ireland managed to take three and make a broader one by giving France the blues.
Women’s international football has delivered memorable occasions in recent years – clinching World Cup qualification at Hampden Park and holding Olympic silver medallists Sweden scoreless – but none this seismic on home soil.
Tuesday's 3-1 win was momentous in numerous ways.
18,399 attended a first competitive football international at Pairc Uí Chaoímh, the FAI taking the team outside of The Pale for a change – albeit enforced - and the symbolism of Julie-Ann Russell’s international reboot at 33. How the birth of her daughter Rosie instigated a footballing rebirth.
Many children who attended their first women’s match will recall in years how they witnessed Russell combine with local legend Denise O’Sullivan to put Ireland two goals up within nine second minutes.
France, much like their male counterparts at the recent Euros, are renowned for their footballing artistry while prone to brittleness.
Granted, sandwiched in between qualification for next year’s Euros sealed and the Olympics they host in eight days, Hervé Renard selected his supporting cast but within their number for Champions League winners.
Onlooking new men’s boss Heimir Hallgrímsson could see for himself how traditional Irish qualities clicked, from crunching into tackles, set-piece emphasis and a direct approach when required.
That the opening two goals from O’Sullivan and Russell were sourced from long passes, with Anna Patten’s third headed home from a corner, underscore the value of retaining those traits, regardless of gender. Nobody needs to apologise for effective means.
It was an emphatic way to snap the losing streak of six games, or seven winless, in 2024.
“I wouldn’t say that was an issue for us,” said Aston Villa’s Patten about the barren spell.
“We knew there were opportunities in each of the losses. It was only the 3-0 loss at home Sweden that we were disappointed in.
“We knew within ourselves that the goals were going to come. From the one we got at the end against England last Friday and these, that’s four overall.”
Patten echoed the general narrative from the camp of Cork’s attractiveness. Whereas under Sue Ronan Turner’s Cross became a temporary home, Tuesday’s match brought to a conclusion a 11-year wait for their return.
A three-month break in the fixture schedule ensues but Friday’s draw at Uefa headquarters in Nyon will outline the obstacles Ireland need to vault if they’re to join France at the finals in Switzerland during July 2025.
By contrast, Ireland will be favourites to prevail through the couple of playoff rounds. That’s the weighting Uefa applied when introducing the Nations League as a roadbridge into the Euros.
Poland’s defeat to Iceland in another group on Tuesday rendered the outcome by the Lee meaningless for the purposes of seeding, boosting the likelihood of an easier path to a first Euro qualification for the Girls in Green.
As a League A team, Ireland are certain to be pitted against one of the League C nations in the first phase of the playoffs, contested between October 23-29.
Prevail there and it’ll be a League B team from November 27-December 3 as their final blocker to the showpiece.
Both games entail home and away legs, leaving open the prospect of Cork’s GAA headquarters being the stage again.
Momentum is in Ireland’s favour.
“Beating France is such a good stepping stone for us going into the playoffs,” added Patten, who switched from England’s U23s to Ireland last year.
“I’ll be watching Friday’s draw very closely. We know that we can beat anyone to get ourselves to Switzerland next year.”
PLAYOFFS EXPLAINER
Round 1: Ireland can be drawn against Albania, Belarus, Georgia, Greece, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania or Slovenia. (Belarus must play their home leg in a neutral country).
Play-off round 2: Ireland can be drawn against Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Türkiye, Ukraine or Wales.
2025 Euro finals draw is on December 16, with the tournament hosted by Switzerland between July 2-27.
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