Ireland fought valiantly but ultimately fell short of beating Les Blues in a dramatic world cup qualifier, as Ireland are now bottom of the group after matchday one.
Ireland 1
France 2
While France had the more encouraging start, it would be Ireland that would have the first shots of the game, courtesy of a Megan Connolly free-kick and an Emily Murphy strike that were both expertly saved by French goalie Constance Picaud
France’s first chance of the game would be a rash attempt at goal by left-back Perle Morroni, with her strike going well clear of the Irish goal.
It would be Ireland to strike first in Tallaght, with none other than captain Katie McCabe making a perfectly timed overlapping run, being on the receiving end of a skillful Emily Murphy pass and placing the ball into the bottom right corner on the stroke of the 12th minute.
Until that goal the game had been end-to-end, but after the goal France began to dominate the possession of the ball. France since the goal held onto possession well but could not carve out a clear opportunity on goal, with their only chances rashly taken strikes going high and wide, this time by Kadidiatou Diani and Oriane Jean-Francois.
Ireland fans went from delight to horror as star player Denise O’Sullivan went done clutching her leg, however the Cork born midfielder managed to continue playing.
Oriane Jean-Francois would have Frances first meaningful chance after 35 minutes as she effortlessly glided through the middle of the pitch before her strike was easily saved by Courtney Brosnan.
Ireland defended valiantly for the remainder of the first half as they headed into the dressing room a goal to the good, with France being frustrated by a superb first half defensive display from the girls in green.
Starting strong pic.twitter.com/8OioMRPyjo
— Ireland Football ⚽️ (@IrelandFootball) March 3, 2026
The second half would commence in a similar fashion to the first, with France having the line share of the ball but failing to break down the Irish defense.
France towards the end of the first half and the beginning of the second would cross the ball multiple times into the Irish penalty area, but every time they failed to find a French jersey and Caitlin Hayes was more than equal to some of those crosses.
Ireland had managed to keep world class players such as Sandy Baltimore quite throughout the first hour of the game, with the Chelsea wingers’ impact only ending up in half chances and lack luster crosses into the box.
Ireland would have a dangerous chance just before the hour mark. With Caitlin Hayes getting on the end of a Katie McCabe, only for her effort to be denied by Picaud.
Ireland high on confidence saw an audacious attempt by Denise O’Sullivan saved by the French goalkeeper on her 14th cap for the national team.
France continued to pressure Ireland and finally Les Blues had their goal. Substitute Melvine Malard used her incredible dribbling ability to create some space, and she calmly struck the ball into the bottom right corner in an emphatic equalizer for France.
France began to utilised their quality to exploit the Irish defense and started to play with more directness and confidence, utilising their dribbling ability to open the Irish backline and create more opportunities on goal.
Chloe Mustaki managed to get a crucial foot to intercept a cross that would have ended in an almost certain goal for France.
Ireland completely ran out of steam towards the end of the match and were no match to the superior passing and dribbling game of Les Blues. It would be the Manchester United striker Malard who would break Irish hearts as she would capitalize on Irelands inability to clear the ball, and she would strike into the same bottom corner as her first goal.
Ireland tried to put the pressure on late, with multiple high balls being lofted into the box. Irelands last chance would be denied as Denise O’Sullivan’s effort would be met by a headed clearance of the line by substitution Marie-Antoinette Katoto.
Irelands last ditch efforts would be in vain as Ireland fell short of beating the number 7 ranked team in the world. Ireland must regroup and go again against the Netherlands on Saturday, March the 7th. Ireland now languishes bottom of the group after match day one as France go top and look to keep their winning run going against Poland.
Player of the match: Emily Murphy. Even though she was on the losing side, her quality shone through today. Her assist for the Katie McCabe goal was superb and her link up with the Arsenal wingback was the real driving force for why Ireland was so competitive today.
Ireland (3-4-1-2): Courtney Brosnan (GK), Chloe Mustaki, Caitlin Hayes, Anna Patten, Katie McCabe (c), Denise O’Sullivan, Megan Connolly, Aoife Mannion, Marissa Sheva, Emily Murphy, Kyra Carusa Subs: Abbie Larkin (70’ for Kyra Carusa), Megan Connoly (85’ for Amber Barrett),
France (4-3-3): Constance Picaud (GK), Perle Morroni, Maelle Lakrar, Thiniba Samoura, Elisa De Almeida, Sakina Karchaoui, Oriane Jean-Francois, Grace Geyoro (c), Sandy Baltimore, Clara Mateo, Kadidiatou Diani Subs: Clara Mateo (46’ for Marie-Antoinette Katoto), Melween N’Dongala (69’ for Elisa De Almedia), Melvine Malard (69’ for Perle Morroni), Anais Ebayilin (86’ for Oriane Jean-Francois), Alice Sombath (86’ for Kadidiatou Diani)
Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden)