Playing at home, Australia beat Ireland 1-0 in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup on Thursday, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia. The local team suffered with the defensive wall set up by the Irish, who opted for speed on counterattacks.
The tactic paid off for the Irish team, making their debut in the Women’s World Cup, during the first 45 minutes, while the Australians felt the absence of striker Sam Kerr, the team’s main player, out of the game due to injury. However, the local team ended up opening the scoring at the beginning of the second half, through the mediation of Steph Catley, from a penalty, in the 52nd minute.
The penalty was awarded by Brazilian referee Edina Alves Batista after forward Hayley Raso was brought down in the box. After the goal, Ireland changed their position and began to attack their rivals in the last 20 minutes, moving up the field in search of an equalizer.
Even with the whole team on attack, the Irish only managed to threaten Australia’s defense on set pieces from Katie McCabe. Despite the pressure, the Australians managed to hold onto the result until the end and secure victory on the first day of the Women’s World Cup.
Source: TSF
