Ireland 'absolutely ready' for penalties if needed says Katie McCabe

“It’s a big science now is penalty taking. It’s not as random now as it maybe was," added Eileen Gleeson.

PENALTY PRACTIVE: Katie McCabe during a Republic of Ireland women training session at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.

Switzerland will be an expensive destination for whichever nation emerges through this playoff final but the yield from the Euros is worth multiples of the outlay.

Europe’s dearest country is also the epicentre of football – Uefa and Fifa are headquartered in Nyon and Zurich respectively, while the Court of Arbitration for Sports is in Lausanne.