Katie McCabe left frustrated as Ireland let big chance slip away

Curse away Katie.

Ireland captain Katie McCabe is watching replays of her 80th minute chance to snatch a draw from the jaws of a 2-1 defeat to Olympic champions Canada.

The World Cup Group B match has just ended. McCabe is still inside the Perth Rectangular stadium, and when she sees herself almost scoring the goal that would have kept Ireland in contention to reach the knockout stages at their first major tournament, the 27-year-old swears in frustration.

“F**k’s sake. Ahhhh, great block.”

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A last 16 showdown with England cannot happen now. A second loss, after Australia beat them 1-0 last Thursday, makes it mathematically impossible to reach the knockout stages. It’s over. Or maybe it is just beginning.

Monday’s third group game against Nigeria in Brisbane is a dead rubber but Irish women’s football will always have McCabe’s corner. The first ever goal at a World Cup. Up there with Kevin Sheedy at Italia ‘90 and nobody else. Fittingly, the Tallaght native scored it. Remarkably, she did it from a near impossible angle.

“Katie McCabe is a world class player and she showed that tonight,” said Canada manager Bev Priestman.

“The early goal, and the nature in which it went it rocked us a bit. It was like playing an away game with all the Irish fans in the stadium. I had to remind the girls at half-time that we are Olympic champions.”

Canada proved their worth with two goals either side of the interval. The first, a Megan Connolly own goal. The second, by Manchester United forward Adriana Leon came nine minutes into the second half. The rest of the game, played before 17,065 attendance of largely Irish exiles living in Western Australia was dominated by the Canadians besides two second-half moments of brilliance by McCabe.

A star turn for Arsenal in the English Super League, she admittedly gave Argentina referee Laura Fortunato a cold assessment of the officiating.

“I would love to know how much time was wasted in the second half, but don’t want to say too much about it because I will start to sound bitter. I just felt that I had to say something to her. I didn’t say anything bad, I didn’t swear at her, I just told her I felt that she had no control.”

A yellow card duly followed.

What’s your message to young girls aspiring to play football back in Ireland?

“Do it for the love of it. I’m so proud and honoured to be able to lead the team to our first ever major tournament. For us it was about creating history, just getting here, but it’s also about leaving a legacy behind as well.

“We’ve given those girls and boys in Ireland the chance to dream and be like us one day. I hope we’ve done them proud, I hope we’ve done the nation proud.”

The FAI and Ireland manager Vera Pauw are due to discuss the end of her contract. The 60-year-old career coach is not expected to lead the squad into the European Championships qualification campaign for Switzerland 2025.

On Connolly’s own goal just before half time, Pauw was eager to absolve the midfielder, who she has picked out of position at centre half, of any wrong doing.

“She hardly touched the ball trying to save it and was very unfortunate,” said Pauw. “We do not blame players ever, mistakes are part of the game.”

Pauw did, though, appear to blame Liverpool captain Niamh Fahey for allowing Juventus winger Julia Grosso put the cross into the box that deflected off Connolly and into the Ireland net.

“What we highlighted was the cover on the side, that was actually the problem, not inside. You have to keep covering the side. That was the takeout from that moment.

“We will qualify more often for finals because this team is too good to not qualify.”