The Republic of Ireland's FIFA Women’s World Cup debut ended in a spirited 1-0 defeat to co-hosts Australia at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Steph Catley’s 52nd-minute penalty settled a scrappy, hard-fought game after Marissa Sheva was penalised for a nudge on Hayley Raso.
In a frantic finale, Megan Connolly’s 90th-minute free-kick dropped inches over the bar, and Katie McCabe drew a smart low save from Mackenzie Arnold, but a typically resolute Ireland just couldn’t muster the quality required to nab an equaliser.
Although the Matildas captain and star striker Sam Kerr was ruled out with a calf injury, Tony Gustavsson's team found enough to dig out three points as they aim to mount a serious attempt to win this tournament.
Vera Pauw’s team must now dust themselves down for a daunting clash with Canada in Perth next Wednesday.
Kerr's shock absence due to a calf injury sucked the air out of the stadium 40 minutes before kick-off.
It was a massive blow to the Aussies but they were able to call upon Mary Fowler, the daughter of a Dubliner who fired them to a 1-0 win over France last Friday.
Pockets of noisy Irish fans were sprayed around the ground, belting out The Fields of Athenry in an electric atmosphere.
Gustavsson had confidently declared that he’d seen "clear weaknesses" in the Irish gameplan, and from the first ten minutes it was obvious his team were targeting Ireland’s right-hand side.
Cortnee Vine drifted away from Heather Payne and Fahey early on before winning a corner; then Ellie Carpenter galloped beyond McCabe to swing in a cross that Louise Quinn volleyed clear.
The excellent Katrina Gorry punched holes in the Irish midfield with smart movement and passing, but their only chance of note in the opening exchanges was a wayward Clare Hunt header off a corner.
Ireland almost carved out a huge opportunity in the 20th minute when Denise O’Sullivan fed McCabe on the counter. She clipped a lovely ball over Carpenter that opened up the defence, but Kyra Carusa couldn’t take it in her stride, and Australia recovered.
Raso glanced a 27th-minute header a yard past the post as Ireland continued to sit deep, but there were moments of encouragement for Pauw’s team.
Carusa outmuscled Gorry to steal possession, charging forward but delaying her pass to let the Aussies off the hook. Moments later, Marissa Sheva floated in a teasing cross that Mackenzie Arnold could only claw towards the back post, where Sinead Farrelly tried, unsuccessfully, to hook a volley back into the box.
Foord sliced an unconvincing effort into the sidenetting on 34 minutes, and skated between two players to fizz a tame effort into Brosnan’s hands five minutes later, but it was a dogged affair with only sporadic patches of fluid quality.
The loudest cheer of the night came when O’Sullivan – magnificent in the middle for Ireland – went in the book for dissent after Sinead Farrelly had coughed up a free-kick. Gorry’s shot from range was dealt with Brosnan just before the break and Pauw headed for the dressing rooms content. Her team looked solid in a scrappy game.
Vine made the first break of note on the turnaround, surging into the box in the 49th minute only for Fahey to shuttle the ball out of her control with a fine tackle. But a minute later, that good work was undone when Sheva nudged Raso in the back after Kyra Cooney-Cross had swung in a cross from the left.
Penalty, said Brazilian ref Edina Alvez, and captain Catley duly smashed it past Brosnan to give the Matildas a 52nd-minute lead.
Fowler threatened to instantly double their advantage when she galloped through the middle before blazing a left-footer over the bar, but Ireland steadied themselves for ten minutes as the game became scrappy again.
Ireland were indebted to Louise Quinn for making a trademark block to deflect Gorry’s effort in the 67th minute. From the resultant corner, Foord flashed a header across the face of goal.
Australia had a nervy moment of their own when Arnold failed to convincingly punch away McCabe’s inswinging corner, but Louise Quinn couldn’t get on the end of the loose ball. O’Sullivan lashed a volley well over soon after that following another corner-kick, as Ireland pushed their win-backs higher up the field.
Payne almost benefited from that tweak in the 77th minute when the ball dropped to her a bit of pinball in the Australian area but the Roscommon native’s effort lacked conviction, trickling into a mass of defenders.
Fahey made a fine block to deny Gorry, then Louise Quinn produced a super piece of defending to charge down Foord’s strike to allow her team to counter.
In the 90th minute Lucy Quinn was taken down just outside the box to give Ireland a chance to nick a leveller. Megan Connolly’s effort clipped a defender and skimmed off the top of the net, but more drama was to come.
Substitute Abbie Larkin drove down the right and whipped in a cross that McCabe controlled and poked goalwards. Arnold clawed it around the post, and from the corner, Louise Quinn guided a header narrowly wide.
And that was that for Ireland, for whom it doesn't get any eaiser. Next up, the regining Olympic champions Canada.
Australia: Mackenzie Arnold; Ellie Carpenter, Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy, Steph Catley (capt); Hayley Raso, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Katrina Gorry, Cortnee Vine (Kyah Simon 75); Mary Fowler (Clare Polkinghorn 85), Caitlin Foord
Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Heather Payne, Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Megan Connolly, Katie McCabe; Ruesha Littlejohn, Denise O'Sullivan; Sinead Farrelly (Abbie Larkin 64), Marissa Sheva (Lucy Quinn 64); Kyra Carusa (Izzy Atkinson 88)
Referee: Edina Alvez (Brazil)
Attendance: 75,784
