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'They've a free hit now' - Aoife Mannion braced for Belgian storm

Aoife Mannion (L) holds off Lisa Petry of Belgium
Aoife Mannion (L) holds off Lisa Petry of Belgium

The Republic of Ireland will go from being the hunters to the hunted in Leuven tomorrow night as they try to kill off Belgium in their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off.

The Girls in Green swept to an impressive 4-2 win in last Friday's first leg at Aviva Stadium, swarming all over their higher-ranked opponents to earn a fully merited advantage.

But it's not done yet. The Belgians were under-par in Dublin and still managed to pinch two goals.

They'll almost certainly improve in front of their own supporters at the compact Den Dreef Stadium, with Ireland braced for a backlash.

"The biggest challenge when things are over two legs and you're going in with the lead is complacency," warned Aoife Mannion, who was rock solid at right wing-back on Friday.

"It's also easier to be chasing something than defending. Belgium have a free hit now. They have that easy mentality that they know they have to go after the game, so they'll be bringing all the energy, and we need to match that."

26 June 2025; Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward talks to her players and staff after the women's international friendly match between the USA and Republic of Ireland at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, USA. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Carla Ward (above) will encourage her side not to show too much respect to their hosts in this picturesque city, which is about 25 minutes east of Brussels.

Ireland scored four and should have had more three days ago, so there's plenty of reasons to believe they can do damage in the rematch.

Still, nothing is being taken for granted.

"We're going to have to be really hard to beat (tomorrow)," added Newcastle United defender Mannion.

"I think if you'd said going in that we'd have a two-goal lead, that puts us in a good spot. But as with anything, you can get complacent, and it can all slip away. Sometimes, it's probably harder, in a sense, to know that you do have that buffer, because you can take your foot off the pedal.

"We have to be really at it and make sure that we see and get the job done."

Central to Irish hopes, as always, will be captain Katie McCabe.

Having led the charge in the first leg, scoring two and making another, she'll hope to mark her 100h international cap with a positive and significant result. The end goal here is to make it to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil: promotion to League A helps Ireland's prospects of at least making it to the play-offs, while potentially offering glamour games against the likes of England and Spain.

McCabe will need to be at her best again if they're to get over the line.

"Katie's world class," Mannion went on.

"She's won the Champions League. She probably carries a lot of expectations on her shoulders. She's a very fitting captain in terms of performances, and sometimes people forget that. Then you see what she can produce, and I think people remember just how good she is.

"I think not many players can strike a ball like that, even me in the game watching it, you're like: 'Oh my goodness'. It's so hard to produce that level of quality. So for me as a player, as a teammate, if I take it for granted, then everyone must take it for granted. Sometimes we need to be reminded of it.

"I think we definitely looked like a good team (on Friday). I think you could look at that performance and go: 'That's a decent run out'.We just have to build on that.

"We looked a threat, and we got loads of set pieces, and I think that that gave us a bit of momentum."


Watch Belgium v Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Women's Nations League play-offs on Tuesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on the RTÉ News App and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to live radio commentary on an extended Game On with 2fm.

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