Ireland ends Women’s World Cup with historic draw

The Girls in Green closed out their first-ever major tournament with a nil-all draw against Nigeria.

News . Written by Alice Linehan.

Squad photo of the Republic of Ireland Women's National Team at the Women's World Cup.
Image: Twitter: @IrelandFootball

On Monday, July 31, the Republic of Ireland played its final game of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, securing a 0-0 draw against Nigeria in Brisbane. The result earned the side its first-ever point in the tournament, as well as its first-ever clean sheet.

Ireland had a sprightly first half in the Suncorp Stadium, with spells of good play and chances created in the final third. However, Nigeria picked up the pace in the second half, and came close to taking the lead in the 52nd minute, with Courtney Brosnan pulling off a super save to deny Uchenna Kanu.

Overall, it was a relatively even-matched affair, ending goalless after 90 minutes. The result means that Nigeria progress through to the knockout stage of the tournament, while the Girls in Green will return home with their heads held high.

 

Speaking after the game, goalkeeper Brosnan described securing a first clean sheet and point as “unbelievable”.

“Obviously I said before we were disappointed not to make it out of the group and we thought we deserved something from the tournament so it’s great to get a point on the board, obviously we wanted three, but to keep a clean sheet is amazing, it’s a testament to this team, we work to the very end and we want to show that we deserve to be here and we did show that today,” she continued.

On the campaign as a whole, Brosnan explained: “We’ve all said before we have the best fans in the world. The support here and at home has been unbelievable and we’re so proud to be able to put on this shirt and represent our country, so it’s been unbelievable.”

 

Similarly reflecting on the World Cup journey, Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw said: “I think that we can be really, really proud because three top-10 nations, I’ve said before Nigeria for me is a top-10 nation, and we’ve played equal games against them. We lost by a penalty, an own goal, and now a draw, so it is amazing.

“Those players came into the tournament as very good players, they go out of the tournament as world stars. It will change their lives, not only in the experience that they have, but they will get other contracts, they will get more opportunities, and the next generation can step in, so amazing,” she added.

 

© 2023 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

Support GCN

GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.

During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.

GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.

0 comments. Please sign in to comment.

Popular News

All News