Republic of Ireland women's manager, Vera Pauw, has expressed her disappointment with the decision to award Australia a second-half penalty in Ireland's opening World Cup game in Sydney. The only goal of the match came from Matildas midfielder Steph Catley's 52nd-minute spot-kick, making it a frustrating affair for Ireland.
Throughout the game, Ireland exerted effort despite having little possession in the first half. Nevertheless, their game plan was disrupted on the 51st minute when Marris Sheva nudged Raso in the back after Kyra Cooney-Cross delivered a cross from the left. Brazilian referee Edina Alvez granted the co-hosts the penalty, which Catley calmly converted to give the Matildas a 52nd-minute lead.
When asked about the penalty, Pauw responded by saying, "It's very disappointing," to RTÉ Sport, and added, "We said at half-time this is a game that will be decided on one mistake, whether it's them or us. And that's what happened."
Regarding whether it was a penalty or not, the Ireland manager further stated, "I don't know. I haven't seen it on the bench. I will have to review it."
As the game progressed, the Girls in Green grew into it, and Australia found themselves under pressure in the latter stages. Late efforts from Megan Connolly and Quinn had Irish fans and players anxious, but unfortunately, Australia emerged victorious in Sydney.
Vera Pauw predicted the game would be decided by a mistake and so it proved, however the manager is immensely proud of her Irish team
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Pauw expressed pride in her team's attempt to find a goal but also acknowledged that luck needed to play a part in the end, which didn't happen. She said, "I'm very proud of that. We brought on Abbie (Larkin) and Lucy (Quinn) to get more pressure forward. To have fresh legs there. They came on very, very well. We put more pressure on them with Louise (Quinn) up front. But you need to have a little bit of luck."
Before the game, Chelsea and Australia star forward Sam Kerr missed the match due to a calf injury. She will also be absent from the upcoming Nigeria game. Pauw noted that despite Kerr's absence, Australia still posed challenges for Ireland, ultimately resulting in their defeat. She also believed that a draw would have been a fair result considering the balance of play.
"Sam Kerr is one of the major top strikers of the world. Her not playing, of course, was an advantage for us," said Pauw.
"But they have such a powerful team. It was difficult to play against them. But I think we've done so well. They didn't have a lot of chances. I think a draw would have been a reasonable result. But that doesn't count. I think everyone is proud that we are part of the top nations. We can only grow from this."
Next up for Ireland is the challenge of facing the current Olympic champions, Canada. The game is scheduled for July 26, with a kick-off time of 1pm Irish time.
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
