World Cup: A brave effort, not unlike men's team

T hosts New Zealand offered us fellow underdogs some hope from the opening game in Auckland. The ‘Footballing Ferns’ were pencilled-in, prior to kick-off, as likely the first host nation to be knocked out at the group stages in World Cup history.

Playing the former world champions and women’s football powerhouse Norway in their opening group game was the basis for such pessimism. But the Kiwi line-up, with more than a few Irish heritage names in their ranks, put in a dogged first half performance to keep it 0-0 at half time. Then struck early in the second period with an example of direct, over the top, football that would have made Jack Charlton proud. Hannah Wilkinson finishing off to the net to surprise the European side with the big reputation, and who can count on a former Ballon d’Or winner among their ranks.

The Kiwis then put in a masterclass of defending for the rest of the game. Norway looked to have run out of ideas long before the New Zealanders managed to squander a penalty opportunity with just a minute of regular time left.

And so it played out, that first blood went to the underdog and our hopes soared further with the early news out of Sydney that Aussie talisman Sam Kerr had lost her race to get back in time from a training injury. Our Cork talisman, in contrast, Denise O’Sullivan had won her battle from the horror tackle in the earlier Colombian ‘friendly’. It all seemed so promising.

Despite RTÉ wanting us to hear George Hamilton and Stephanie Roche’s chopped commentary a couple of seconds ahead of the action, the Ireland team thankfully, in contrast, remained in synch, holding their shape against Aussie pressure in the first half.

Captain Katie McCabe leading by example with her dogged tackles on the left, Niamh Fahy putting in a real shift at right back.

Should we dare to hope?

Like the previous game, the breakthrough goal came early in the second half and like the earlier game it was the host that bagged the score, but sadly not the underdog this time.

Like the Irish men’s team, the ‘Girls in Green’ struggled to come up with a Plan B once we went behind, our need to hunt for an equaliser stretched the game but that only offered the more accomplished and experienced Aussies the room to pile the pressure on the beleaguered Irish defence.

Yet there were a few moments, as the half went on, where we had a succession of corners and started to dominate possession when a few half chances were created. This makes you wonder, as in the men’s team, that maybe if we concentrated a bit more in our attack that maybe we would not be so under pressure defensively at the other end?

The introduction of the fresh legs of Lucy Jane Quin and especially Abbie Larkin put us on the front foot and turned the shape of the game, but we needed to make more of what opportunities came our way.

Sport often has a fairytale narrative, it’s the reason why we watch it. But it also can provide the cruellest of realities and defeat was the eventual outcome. And like the men's team, on so many other occasions, it was a respectable moral victory if not a real victory.

Ireland can still hold their heads high and while facing the Olympic champions Canada in the next round will not be any easier, the experience gained against Australia will be invaluable and maybe on Wednesday the underdog will have their moment again.

Dare we hope?