Ireland v Kazakhstan, Tuesday 7.30pm
Hello all, welcome to our live updates from Páirc Ui Chaoimh where Ireland will play the second leg of their World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Kazakhstan this evening (live on RTÉ 2, kick-off 7.30).
Now, seeing as Carla Ward’s crew won the first leg 8-0 in Astana last Friday, we’re not anticipating a nerve-shredding evening. Indeed, with the return of captain Katie McCabe and midfielder Denise O’Sullivan to the team, this could prove to be the very longest of nights for the visitors.
McCabe and O’Sullivan are among four changes Ward has made to the side that began the first leg, Shanade Hopcroft coming in for her first start for Ireland after making her debut in Astana and Hayley Nolan taking Caitlin Hayes’ place in defence. Kyra Carusa, Jamie Finn and Chloe Mustaki also drop out.
Ireland: Brosnan; Mannion, Patten, Nolan, Stapleton, McCabe; O’Sullivan, Connolly; Hopcroft; Larkin, Murphy.
If Kazakhstan were to win, say, 10-1 tonight, we’d be left with egg on our faces because we’ll soon be telling you who Ireland will face in their play-off final: Poland or Belgium. They’re in to the closing stages of the second leg of their play-off semi-final in Gdansk and it’s all square on aggregate. Belgium won the first leg 1-0 in Leuven last Friday, but it’s 2-1 to Poland this evening with 10 minutes to go.
We’ll update you on that soon, for now you can read Gavin Cummiskey’s match preview.
[ Carla Ward urges Ireland to build on eight-goal lead over KazakhstanOpens in new window ]
Denise O’Sullivan in action against Kazakhstan on Tuesday night. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
Player of the match Denise O’Sullivan: “It’s always special to play here in Cork, it’s where I grew up, it’s where the people supported me through my whole career, and it’s how I got to where I am.”
“It was a different game tonight, Kazakhstan did really well, they probably learned from the other night, they sat back, they were seven deep at times. It posed a different challenge for us, but we got the job done.”
The play-off final?
“Poland are a good side, they have a world class striker [Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor], but we have great players, we’re up for the challenge, we’ll be fully ready in six weeks.”
Full-time: Ireland 4 Kazakhstan 0
Job done. True, pre-match predictions that Ireland would top their record win – 11-0 against Georgia in 2021 – were wide of the mark, this not being quite the ruthless performance head coach Carla Ward had demanded. Still, she’ll hardly complain about a 12-0 aggregate victory that puts Ireland through to a play-off final against Poland. Two games away, then, from World Cup qualification for just the second time. Poland have never qualified for a World Cup, so you’d imagine they’ll be rather eager to break that duck.
80 mins: Kyra Carusa is on for Emily Murphy. It’s now 12-0 for Ireland on aggregate with 10 minutes to go, so it might be safe to assume that they’re through to a World Cup qualifying play-off final against Poland in December.
Ireland 4 Kazakhstan 0
74 mins: GOAL! Denise O’Sullivan
The hometown girl makes it four. A lovely one-two between Amber Barrett and Jessie Stapleton sends the latter through, her shot is saved but O’Sullivan buries the rebound.
Ireland 4 Kazakhstan 0
70 mins: GOAL! Lucy Quinn
The neatest of footwork from Emily Murphy just inside the box, she then played it left to Tyler Toland who was a bit twinkle-toed herself before her cross fell to Lucy Quinn after a deflection or two – and she rifled it in to the bottom left corner.
Ireland 3 Kazakhstan 0
61 mins: As ever, Marissa Sheva has been lively, adding some much needed energy to Ireland’s efforts after she came on at the break. Karen Duggan wondered at half-time if a bit of complacency had set in. Could be, it’s been the flattest of performances so far. Amber Barrett and Lucy Quinn are on for Abbie Larkin and Aoife Mannion.
Ireland 2 Kazakhstan 0
48 mins: GOAL! Katie McCabe
Emily Murphy sets up the Irish captain at the edge of the box and she sends a left foot shot in to the bottom right corner. We withdraw our praise of the Kazakhstan goalie.
Ireland 2 Kazakhstan 0
Two changes for Ireland at the break, Tyler Toland and Marissa Sheva are on for Anna Patten and Shanade Hopcroft.
Half-time: Ireland 1 Kazakhstan 0
You’d imagine that the Irish players will receive quite a stern talking to from Carla Ward at the break after she had urged them to be ruthless in this second leg. They’ve been far from that. It doesn’t matter tonight, they’re 9-0 up on aggregate after all, but it sure as heck will against Poland in December.
45 mins: Shanade Hopcroft’s header from Megan Connolly’s corner grazes the outside of the left post. Really gutsy defending – and goalkeeping – from Kazakhstan tonight after the mullering they suffered in Astana.
Ireland 1 Kazakhstan 0
41 mins: GOAL! Jessie Stapleton
Clearly, the key to prompting Ireland in to scoring a goal is to whine about the non-clinical nature of their attack tonight. And with that, Jessie Stapleton powers home Anna Patten’s cross.
Ireland 1 Kazakhstan 0
38 mins: Abbie Larkin still proving to be Ireland’s chief threat, but the Kazakhstan goalie does well to turn away her effort – and then she tips over an Emily Murphy shot. Those anticipating an avalanche of goals are, so far, disappointed.
Ireland 0 Kazakhstan 0
28 mins: Cripes, still scoreless in Cork, not too many of us saw Kazakhstan holding out this long. No end of industry from Ireland, but they’ve yet to find a way through the visitors’ back eleven. Carla Ward is sporting a bit of a ‘what the heck?’ face on the sideline.
Ireland 0 Kazakhstan 0
19 mins: Still scoreless in Cork, Ireland proving decidedly less clinical thus far than they were in Astana.
Ireland 0 Kazakhstan 0
Bar Kazakhstan producing the greatest comeback in the history of association football, Ireland will be through to a World Cup qualifying play-off final where they will play …. Poland. They produced a sizeable enough upset by beating Belgium 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out in Gdansk.
The provisional dates for that two-leg final are December 1st and 5th, Ireland at home in the second leg at the Aviva Stadium (5pm). Lest ye need reminding, the prize for the winners will be a place in next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
7 mins: It’s all Ireland so far, Abbie Larkin having an effort cleared off the line after she was picked out by a beaut of a pass by Anna Patten. And Patten came close herself when she had a goal-bound header from a corner scooped clear by a defender.
Ireland 0 Kazakhstan 0
Meantime, over in Gdansk, it’s gone to penalties.
They’re about to get up and running in Páirc Ui Chaoimh – and it’s a zinger in Gdansk. Jarne Teulings’ extra-time goal looked like putting Belgium through, but Poland are now 3-2 up on the night, making it 3-3 on aggregate.
They’re in to extra-time in Gdansk, Poland and Belgium still level on aggregate.
Who would Ireland like to prevail? Poland, probably. And that’s not because they’re ranked eight places below Ireland in the Fifa list, whereas Belgium are three places higher – you should never really pay much heed to rankings. It’s more down to Ireland having beaten the Poles home and away as recently as April, in their World Cup qualifying group. Mind you, both wins were only by one-goal margins.
Ireland and Belgium last met in the Nations League play-offs a year ago, Ireland winning the first leg 4-2 at the Aviva Stadium before losing the second 2-1 in Leuven. But Abbie Larkin’s injury time goal gave Ireland a 5-4 aggregate win.
Either way, it’ll be a somewhat sterner test than the one poor Kazakhstan have offered.