World Cup play-offs next for Ireland after another narrow French loss

Defeating a French side that hadn’t lost a home World Cup qualifier for 21 years was always a long shot but Carla Ward will leave Grenoble feeling at least a draw was merited.

PLAY-OFF ROUTE AWAITS: Ireland's Katie McCabe after the game. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

France 1 (Melvine Malard 40) Ireland 0

On a night of free hits, Ireland will regret not taking theirs on the pitch against a French side that contested the last 20 minutes a player down.

Defeating a French side that hadn’t lost a home World Cup qualifier for 21 years was always a long shot but Carla Ward will leave Grenoble feeling that at least a draw was merited.

Victory was the only formula for the Irish to complete an epic journey through the top table of nations to book a direct ticket to next year’s World Cup, but they’ll bounce into their play-offs later in the year better for their experience of mixing it with the French and Dutch.

Three wins on the spin, the latest in Cork against the Dutch, enabled Ireland to dream big and they’ll reflect on the second-half chances they spurned after a bicycle-kicked volley by Manchester United's Melvine Malard had put the home side ahead five minutes before the break.

Only the legs of goalkeeper Constance Picaud denied Ireland twice, initially from Anna Patten before substitute Abbie Larkin endured an identical resistance from the other side of the box.

In between, France lost Thiniba Samoura after the defender incurred two yellow cards 10 minutes apart, the second for crudely halting Emily Murphy as she was about to sprint clear from the halfway line.

Naturally, spaces to expose emerged thereafter but even with supersub Amber Barrett flung on, alongside Saoirse Noonan, for the latter stages, the siege didn’t produce a sequel to Friday’s heroics.

Both teams lined up as anticipated. France stuck with the same starting team that beat Poland on Friday through a couple of second-half goals while it was inevitable that both Denise O’Sullivan and Murphy would return following their one-match bans for bookings in two qualifiers. Ruesha Littlejohn and Larkin made way after impressive deputising contributions in Cork.

It would take only 20 seconds for livewire O’Sullivan to rattle the French, charging into Maelle Larkar as the Real Madrid defender laid off a pass on the edge of her box. This had to be an occasion for Ireland to let their hosts know a battle was in store.

France effectively owned the ball in the first half, without succeeding in stretching Ireland’s discipline structure.

Between captain Grace Geyoro and another of their English-based stars, Oriane Jean-François, possessional dominance was established but Ireland weren’t endangered by that supremacy.

Rather, it was the powerful running and dribbling of Sandy Baltimore on the left that provided Les Bleues with their attacking outlet. A testing night seemed to be ahead of Aoife Mannion when she was skinned by the Chelsea winger within a minute but she recovered to ensure those gaps would be limited.

In a ground which Grenoble FC shares with their local rugby counterparts, the first half developed into a quest for Ireland to gain territory.

Aoife Mannion and Abbie Larkin of the Republic of Ireland. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Murphy’s pace offered an outlet to spring their trademark counterattacks and against a side so frugal in ceding possession, Ireland needed to be ruthless in their execution. Unfortunately, that left that clinical edge behind in Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

For instance, all the benefits of nifty build-up play, by switching the ball from the left wing to the right, were wasted by Patten overhitting the 18th-minute cross. 

As a defender in unfamiliar advanced territory, she could be accorded a pass.

The same needn’t apply to Katie McCabe. Ireland’s deadball specialist squandered the chance to utilise their aerial power three minutes later, only to float her free-kick straight into the gleeful hands of Picaud.

Just past the half hour and another morsel to break the French flow went abegging.

Mannion’s sliderule pass sent Kyra Carusa rampaging down the right but her cross towards Murphy haring into the box lacked accuracy, allowing Picaud to scamper out to gather.

Otherwise, Ireland spent most of the half watching their hosts spray passes, long and short. From the first through ball on seven minutes, Malard was at her instinctive best but her first-time shot was easily batted away by Brosnan.

Selma Bacha then saw her long-range shot deflected out for a corner before a similar opportunity, this time inside the box, was blazed over by Baltimore on 25 minutes.

Brosnan was more concerned about Murphy’s wayward backpass midway through the half that sped past her, requiring a dash back towards her goal to prevent a disastrous own-goal.

Ireland continued to look solid, even more reason why they’ll rue switching off from a short corner for the solitary goal of the game.

Too much time and space was given to Bacha to roll the corner towards Sakina Karchaoui and her out-swinging cross caught Ireland unawares. Instead of the unusual defensive peaks mustering one of their routine clearances, midfielder Megan Connolly was the player to connect.

However, her glancing header went straight to Malard, or more accurately, struck her head, spinning the ball into the air. The Red Devil was first to react, vaulting acrobatically into the air to crash her volley into the net off the crossbar.

One more chance fell the way of the visitors approaching the break, yet O’Sullivan could only loft her lob wide after the ball broke loose 30 yards out following a collision between Carusa and Picaud.

France were content to protect their lead after the break, ideal for Ireland but the task of sourcing one goal, never mind the requisite two for top spot to be usurped, didn’t materialise despite the numerical advantage.

For the third time in the last four meetings, the French nudge Ireland by the narrowest of margins and their release of fervour at full-time underlined their relief at shading this one too.

FRANCE: C Picaud; A Sombath, M Lakrar, T Samoura, S Bacha (M N’Dongala 69); G Geyoro, S Karchaoui, O JeanFrancois; D Cascarino (M Katoto 69), M Malard (A Le Moguédec 75), S Baltimore.

IRELAND: C Brosnan; A Patten, C Hayes, C Mustaki; A Mannion (S Noonan 88), M Connolly (J Ziu 60), D O’Sullivan, K McCabe; E Murphy, M Sheva (A Barrett 88); K Carusa (A Larkin 70).

Referee: Désirée Blanco (SUI)