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<\/p>\nAn automatic World Cup place is up for grabs on Tuesday night when Carla Ward\u2019s side take on France in Grenoble.<\/p>\n
Ireland’s Kyra Carusa celebrates her opener against the Netherlands(Image: INPHO\/Ben Brady)<\/p>\n
Kyra Carusa believes Ireland now have the \u201cbig-time players\u201d for the \u201cbig-time moments\u201d.<\/p>\n
And she is convinced that the Girls in Green<\/a> can pull off another shock win on Tuesday when they take on France in Grenoble – with the winner securing automatic qualification to next year\u2019s World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carusa opened the scoring in Friday night\u2019s sensational and dramatic 3-2 win against the Netherlands.<\/p>\n Second-half goals from Abbie Larkin and Amber Barrett highlighted the resilience of the team after the visitors twice clawed their way back into the game.<\/p>\n Looking ahead to the France clash, Carusa said: \u201cI would always say that I would never count us out for anything.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways bet on us. In these massive moments we do have big-time players that show up in big-time moments, and it\u2019s a mentality, it\u2019s an aura, it\u2019s top-down.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have the likes of Katie McCabe captaining us, and that aura and that ability, it comes off on everyone else.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is really, really impressive. It\u2019s something we all come into. In this environment it\u2019s something that everyone feels a part of.<\/p>\n \u201cAgain, incredible leadership, incredible mentality, but I feel like that\u2019s just so Irish.\u201d<\/p>\n Manager Carla Ward made clear after the Netherlands win that her players could produce one more massive performance and result to secure a remarkable qualification.<\/p>\n When they lost narrowly in their opening two games against the French and Dutch, there was no talk of a top-of-the-table finale in Grenoble.<\/p>\n But three wins on the trot have brought World Cup qualification into view, and Carusa echoed her manager\u2019s view.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cIt\u2019s control what you can control. We said it from the beginning. When you talk about (Friday), having thought about this game since the last time we met the Netherlands, Tuesday is the same with France.<\/p>\n \u201cI think about that night we had in Tallaght (when France came back to win 2-1) and you are just thinking, we wanted to be in this moment right now, and we\u2019ve clawed and worked and got ourselves to this moment.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the games you want to be playing, these are the moments you want to be playing in, and I\u2019m excited for us and looking forward to Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n Twice on Friday the Netherlands scored equalisers, and in the past that might have signalled an Irish collapse.<\/p>\n But in P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh the Girls in Green reacted to those disappointments by pushing forward, determined to secure three points.<\/p>\n Carusa has felt that progression within the squad. She said: \u201cI think our evolution is just happening so rapidly, so much faster, and it\u2019s contagious. It\u2019s incredible to see.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been there and we know it\u2019s there, but it has come out in little moments like Belgium, just small opportunities here and there.<\/p>\n \u201cBut truly tonight the massive performances from so many people, and again that feeling of regardless, I would be betting on us to win that game.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cI\u2019ve been with this team through massive campaigns and massive wins, going to a World Cup together, and also devastating losses, missing out on a Euros.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I feel is that this team, our depth and our ability has just improved immensely.<\/p>\n \u201cThat feeling amongst everybody, top down, from staff to our bench to any player that comes on the pitch at any point in time, it really does feel like we are making our own luck.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving gone through the campaigns we have, especially in the last couple of years, it has really helped us in these moments now.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s three wins from three in Cork – with France in 2024, Slovenia last year and now the Netherlands all leaving P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh with nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to the guys, our track record is crazy,\u201d said Carusa. \u201cI think big moments and getting to come to a special place and playing in a special stadium, we are just all so aligned on this.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sounds like for the future we just keep lining up these big matches here.\u201d<\/p>\n