'It needed to be a little bit of Carla with the ball and Ireland without the ball'

Head coach Carla Ward and Katie McCabe during a Republic of Ireland women's training session at Fota Island Resort in Cork. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Not the end, just new beginnings.

From being in a Cup final scenario on Tuesday in France, Ireland’s women’s team shift to a knockout phase with two ties determining their World Cup fate.

Win both the semi-final and final, each at home in the second leg, and Ireland will have secured tickets at back-to-back World Cup finals.

The journey to Brazil next year continues after a slight detour off the beaten track.

Grenoble transpires to be a familia French fable for the Irish. 

It was always likely the hosts would avail of their attacking riches to breach Courtney Brosnan’s goals – as they did through Melvine Malard’s overhead volley – but it was inopportune for Ireland to fire a blank for the first time in 12 months.

Profligacy against the top tier of nations is regrettable, yet doing so against teams of lower or similar ranking in the playoffs is unforgivable.

It was fortunate that those second-half chances to equalise fluffed by Anna Patten and Abbie Larkin came in a match which wasn’t terminal to their qualification prospects.

Lamentable, too, was the manner of the sole concession. Mental lapses from a short corner, perhaps a hangover from the energy-sapping exertions of shocking the Netherlands four days earlier at Pairc Uí Chaoimh, unhinged Ireland in a way that forbade them to twice fail to deal with the danger.

For all the elegance of the Malard’s acrobatics, the Manchester United forward ought to have been challenged aerially as she contorted to unleash her strike.

“I can’t criticise my team, I can’t,” Ireland manager Carla Ward said of that costly blemish. “It's a moment against a top side, a top player that has hurt us in that moment but we'll learn from that, we will.” 

This summer break offers space to smooth imperfections rather than engineer an overhaul. 

Competition for places is a frequent soundbite from players but there’s no doubting Ward has settled on her preferred starting XI, evidenced by Denise O’Sullivan and Emily Murphy returning directly after suspension.

It wasn’t that way in the early stages of Ward’s reign, reflective of a manager with a strong club CV at Aston Villa and Birmingham City but without any international experience.

A 4-0 defeat away to Slovenia in only her second game at the helm, when captain Katie McCabe looked lost in an advanced role, is often cited as the early nadir of her reign which has reached 18 months. 

That it came within four months of their surprise Euro playoff defeat to Wales, a shock that led to the unseemly axing of Eileen Gleeson and Colin Healy, validated Ward’s reference to legacy scars.

“I actually sat down last summer with Katie in London to have a really long conversation about a lot of things,” the manager said when asked for a turning point.

“I looked at where we're at, what we've got, what we do well, how I want to play, but what are Ireland really good at?

“I had said it needed to be a little bit of Carla with the ball and Ireland without the ball.

“If we could create that mentality with the ball, this could be quite exciting – and I think it has been. If I'm being really brutally honest. I think that we've developed a clear identity.” 

She added: “I took over a group that was hurt, one that had lost key members to retirement.

“That meant transition time. It's not been easy, not happened overnight because it’s occurred over a period.

“We have a character about us where, if we go behind, we fight to get back in front. That must continue.” 

Individual success stories speckle throughout the team, none more than Chloe Mustaki. Cancer and persistent injuries prevented one of McCabe’s peers from ascending with similar pace but the left-sided defender is finally flourishing as a first-choice.

“I'm really grateful that this is my first professional season without a long-term injury,” said the Nottingham Forest player.

“When I made the move over to the UK in 2022, every season was blighted by a tough injury and I kept getting pushed back. Playing regularly proves that I belong at this level.

“It would mean a hell of a lot to reach the World Cup. For the last one in 2023, I just about made it, coming back from an injury. It was amazing to get on that plane to Australia but I never set foot on the pitch.

“Brazil would likely be my last World Cup as well so it would mean a huge amount to me. The most important thing for me is staying fit and healthy.”