The Republic of Ireland rallied from a goal down against Wales in Cardiff to set up a thrilling conclusion to their Euro 2025 playoff next week. A 1-1 draw leaves the tie delicately poised after an own goal from Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark cancelled out Lily Woodham’s early opener.

Rhian Wilkinson, the Wales manager, lamented her side’s failure to capitalize on their early advantage in a tightly contested first leg. “It’s 0-0 at half-time,” she noted. “Sometimes you can get a bit frustrated. I don’t think we consistently played our style of football... we had moments, but games shift in your favor when you string together a series of moments that build momentum.”

This matchup was highly anticipated from the moment the draw was made. Both teams have experienced contrasting fortunes in recent years. While Wales is still striving to qualify for their first major tournament, the Republic of Ireland has already cleared that hurdle by qualifying for the previous World Cup and is now aiming to secure their maiden appearance at a European Championship.

A record crowd of 16,845 was in attendance to support Wales in their bid to turn around their recent playoff misfortunes. Wilkinson fielded an unchanged lineup from their extra-time victory over Slovakia, with top scorer Jess Fishlock fully fit and Ffion Morgan retaining her position as the central striker.

In contrast, Ireland had breezed through their qualifying campaign with a commanding 9-0 aggregate win over Georgia. However, Eileen Gleeson’s side faced a setback this week with the withdrawal of Aoife Mannion due to injury, adding to the absence of Louise Quinn. Niamh Fahey started in central defense, while Ruesha Littlejohn, Lily Agg, and Heather Payne all returned to the lineup.

Ireland might have been considered favorites, but Gleeson cautioned that she expected a closely contested match. The game unfolded exactly as she predicted, with Wales taking the lead after 20 minutes despite Ireland’s early dominance.

Wales capitalized on Ireland’s defensive lapse with their first real attack. When Fahey failed to clear Fishlock’s cross, it fell perfectly for Woodham, who made a superb run to the far post. Her well-placed strike past Courtney Brosnan significantly raised the noise level in the stadium.

It seemed like an ideal moment for Wales to press their advantage, but as Wilkinson later pointed out, they eased off and allowed Ireland to regain control. The equalizer came in fortunate circumstances when Littlejohn’s ambitious long-range shot was tipped onto the crossbar by Clark and rebounded into the net off the unfortunate goalkeeper’s head.

Although Wales came out stronger after the break, Ireland also had periods of dominance and created the best chance of the second half, with Clark making a crucial save to deny Caitlin Hayes’ well-struck half-volley.

With neither side able to secure a winner, the stage is set for a highly anticipated finale in Dublin on Tuesday, where home advantage will be crucial. Gleeson intends to harness the energy of the home crowd. “I don’t feel the pressure is on our shoulders,” she said. “I feel it’s in our soul. It’s our home. We love playing at the Aviva. We love the crowd. It’s magical. There’s nothing like playing at home in Ireland.”

Source link:   https://www.theguardian.com