BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Following two narrow losses that ended its chances of advancing to the knockout stage on debut at the Women’s World Cup, Ireland remains motivated to play for more than just a result against Nigeria on Monday night.
“We still have something to fight for," midfielder Lily Agg said. "That’s our pride, that’s our passion and that’s who we are as Irish players. We’re going to leave it all out there on Monday and, hopefully, do Ireland proud.”
Ireland is yet to pick up a competition point despite pushing two Top 10 teams to the limit. In front of almost 76,000 people in the tournament opener, a second-half penalty was the difference in Ireland's 1-0 loss to co-host Australia. Ireland struck first in its next match against Canada, but two unanswered goals from the Olympic champions left the Irish empty-handed once again.
“We can compete with the best, and I think we’ve proven that,” Agg said. “We’ve got so much talent, and it’s now just about making that next step as a team and fighting to win.”
The Irish squad is well aware of what’s at stake for the other three teams in Group B.
Nigeria, which opened with a 0-0 draw against Canada and then upset Australia 3-2, will advance to the knockout stage with a win or draw. A win for the Irish, however, would put the Super Falcons at risk of failing to make it out of the group stage and provide a potential opening for Australia and Canada.
“This game has a big impact on the follow up of the tournament for each group, so we feel the responsibility for that,” Ireland coach Vera Pauw said. “We have a huge responsibility to ourselves and FIFA to bring our best performance.”
Pauw’s squad made history by qualifying for its first ever Women's World Cup when it edged Scotland 1-0 in a playoff last October. Just being a participant was never the only goal for the team.
“We want to show the world that while this may be our first tournament it won’t be our last,” defender Megan Connolly said. “We owe it to ourselves to put in a good performance and show the world that we deserve to be here and compete with the best teams.”
Ireland’s debut appearance also marks the nation’s first World Cup since its men’s team reached the round of 16 in 2002. The extended hiatus intensified the support the team received from Irish supporters in all parts of the world.
“The players have been taken back by the amount of Irish support,” Connolly said. “We want to keep doing them proud and show them what we’re made of. We want to come out of this tournament giving them something to really cheer about.”
___
Taft Gantt is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
___
AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
