Republic of Ireland don miss di chance to automatically qualify for di 2027 Women’s World Cup as dem lose 1-0 to France for Grenoble. Na winner takes all final qualifier wey France win.
Manchester United striker Melvine Malard score di winning goal for 40 minutes. Na acrobatic effort from a short corner routine wey bounce off di crossbar before enter net.
Thiniba Samoura bin see red card after two yellow card offences. But Republic of Ireland no fit use dia numerical advantage as France hold on for di win wey help dem top di group and reach dia sixth World Cup.
Carla Ward side finish third for Group A2 after Netherlands win over Poland. But dem still fit reach next year tournament for Brazil as dem go be seeded for autumn play-offs. Di draw go happen on 18 June.
France dominate di match from di start for Grenoble. Courtney Brosnan bin come into action early to stop Grace Geyoro and Melvine Malard. Brosnan palm away a fierce strike from di French captain before denying Malard from a tight angle.
Republic of Ireland resistance bin break five minutes before half-time through Malard sumptuous acrobatic effort wey bounce in off di crossbar after ball fall fortuitously for her for di box.
Ward side bin improve well well after di break with Marissa Sheva and Anna Patten forcing saves from Constance Picaud. Dia hopes of fight back bin boost further when Samoura see red for hauling down Emily Murphy as she bin bursting through on goal.
But substitute Abbie Larkin squander a huge chance to draw di Irish level soon after as she shoot straight at Picaud from point-blank range. France hold on for a narrow and important victory.
E bin always require a near perfect performance from Republic of Ireland to spring another surprise and beat France for Grenoble. E ultimately prove a step too far.
With automatic qualification up for grabs, Les Bleues, wey last lose on home soil two years ago against England, bin on top from di start and eventually get di breakthrough dem deserve through a bit of quality from Malard. She also net twice when France beat di Irish for Tallaght for March.
Di Irish, as dem don do throughout di campaign, bin defensively solid for di most part, but surprisingly passive going di other way, particularly for di first half.
Ward half-time team talk spark her side into life for di second half. Dem go rue di fact say two big chances fall to unlikely goalscorers for di form of Sheva and Patten and say Larkin no fit keep her composure to finish past Picaud.
Netherlands win over Poland condemn Ward side to third place for di group. But na dia target from di start of di campaign and dem perform admirably as di first promoted side to avoid relegation and win three games for League A.
With a seeded play-off to come, dem still get a realistic chance of reaching back-to-back World Cups. Given dia displays for dis tough group, dem go be di side nobody want to face when di draw happen later dis month.
