The Republic of Ireland sailed to victory against Georgia in the Euro 2025 playoffs with a triumphant 3-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Julie-Ann Russell, Kyra Carusa, and Katie McCabe. Swiftly leading Ireland to a 9-0 aggregate win. The inspirations on the pitch were both McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan who made quick work of the Georgian team on their home ground in Tallaght.
This accomplished Ireland team, having already proved their worth by qualifying for the World Cup the previous year, now seek to further their legacy. Their aim is clear – to triumph over Wales in the forthcoming two-legged playoff, enabling them to secure their place in the next summer’s European Championships in Switzerland.
Wales had to strive hard to defeat Slovakia in their own match, eventually winning with a thin 3-2 margin at the Cardiff City Stadium in extra time. As such, Ireland must aim to achieve the same feat in the first leg of their playoff on November 29th which will happen at the same venue before they host the second leg on December 3rd at the Aviva Stadium.
It wasn’t long into the match, just three minutes, before Russell, positioned as a left-wingback, surprised everyone with a prompt opening goal, demonstrating an astute ambience of both strategy and spontaneity. She was assisted by McCabe, who lobbed the ball to Carusa, who then found Sheva, their fellow compatriot charging down the Georgian defence.
Russell showed quick thinking when she followed up Sheva’s shot being saved, banking in on the loose ball. She marked her goal with her trademark finger snapping, a symbolic acknowledgement to her little girl, Rosie. Russell’s exemplary performance frustrated the Georgians causing Irina Khaburdzania to get booked for tackling her.
As the game developed, news reached everyone of a 2-2 stalemate between Wales and Slovakia eventually being broken, through an extra time goal by Ceri Holland. With the landscape shifting in Cardiff, back in Tallaght, with the sizable crowd of 8745, the home team entertained the masses.
The second goal mirrored the first one and was a prime example of Ireland’s quality. A clever pass from Anna Patten to Jessie Stapleton, who then back-heeled it for Carusa to strike, yielded their second goal. Persistence was the flavour of the day as Carusa got fouled in the box subsequently earning a penalty. Unfortunately, McCabe’s spot kick attempt didn’t materialise into a goal and ended up floating away into the night skies of Tallaght. The goal kick symbolically marked the conclusion of a thrilling and successful night for the home team.
As Ireland held a decisive 8-0 lead, half-time offered some food for thought. The FAI’s newly-appointed CEO, David Courell, penned in the game’s brochure, “The chief role of a coach is to secure victories and accomplish tournament entries while my duty as CEO requires me to adopt a long-sighted approach to guarantee future squads have the opportunities and capabilities to surpass anticipations as well.”
In order for this to materialise, Courell stressed the necessity for a growth in Government funding into Irish football’s foundation. This is a vital step for us to realise our broad player development strategy, he argued. Notably absent though was any reference to the cancelled weekly training sessions for the cream of the League of Ireland crop, both those on the brink of moving overseas for professional trajectories or part-time players who need to keep a day job as a football industry is virtually non-existent in Ireland.
Corroborating this, former Ireland midfielder Karen Duggan stated, “We attended diligently. It offered our sole source of professionalism.” Persistent queries face Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson about the crucial chain in women’s football breaking under her leadership. Despite assuring the creation of a domestic under-23 squad, each passing international camp finds Gleeson increasingly cornered. Everyone presumes it’s a financial restraint issue, but the association maintains silence.
Courell went on, “Our women’s national team is making the country proud with their performance on-field and off-field behaviour as role models. We need to assure continued resources for them and their successors.” While these words sound commendable, they feel detached from the actual scenario.
The break brought about the substitution of Lily Agg in place of Aoife Mannion. This shift allowed McCabe to sit behind Carusa and look for redemption, following a penalty misstep. Nine minutes into the final half, she and O’Sullivan combined from a short corner to punish Gabunia at the near post.
Further smart substitutions by Gleeson introduced Heather Payne, Izzy Atkinson, Leanne Kiernan and Ellen Molloy – counterparts from Everton, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Sheffield United – enhancing the energy levels of a game that was clearly decided.
All four players evidently harbor ambitions to play in Cardiff. Molloy, who is presently 20 years old, had her first game in the Irish colour since 2022, and she narrowly missed scoring a splendid fourth goal for Ireland.
The following were the teams:
Ireland was fronted by Brosnan, with Payne taking over from Carusa 58 minutes into the game, Sheva, and Kiernan, who replaced McCabe after 72 minutes. The defence was led by Mannion, who was replaced by Agg 46 minutes into the game, Patten, and Hayes, with Molloy joining in the 83rd minute. The midfield consisted of Larkin who was replaced by Atkinson 58 minutes into the game, O’Sullivan, and Stapleton.
Georgia was headed by Gabunia, with Pasikashvili taking over from Cheminava 88 minutes into the game, Bebia who replaced Bakradze after 59 minutes, and Ambalia who replaced Khaburdzania after 59 minutes. Defence was led by Kadagishvili, Kalandadze, Gasviani, and Chkhartishvili, with the midfield being managed by Narsia, Danelia, and Bukhrikidze.
The match was officiated by Katalin Kulcsar from Hungary.