Article body analysed
Republic of Ireland 1-2 France (FT) Katie Mc Cabe slots home for the hosts Malard levels before putting visitors ahead David Mohan FT: Republic of Ireland 1-2 France What a thrilling game in Tallaght Stadium, but the Republic of Ireland will take little consolation from that as they fall to rance. It was looking good for Carla Ward's side when Katie Mc Cabe gave them a 12-minute goal, but two goals in eight second half minutes from Melvine Malard turned the game on its head. A trip to face the Netherlands on Saturday in Utrecht is up next for Carla Ward's side at 19: 45 GMT, so we will see you then. FT: Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Player of the match Emily Murphy speaking to RTE: "It stings. We went toe to toe with one of the best in the world so it hurts not to take any points. I think it shows we are capable and will build into Utrecht against the Netherlands. " On the late O'Sullivan chance stopped on the line: "They got away with one. Gutted not to get to 2-2, but the focus now has to shift. We've put in an unbelievable performance against a top side and we just have to build from the positives. " FT: Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Louise Quinn Former Republic of Ireland international on RTE Kyra Carusa and Emily Murphy have really found a way to get us up the pitch. Overall, that can take a lot of pressure off the team. We are far more clinical than we used to be. FT: Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Aine O'Gorman Former Republic of Ireland defender on RTE Overall, I think it has been a good performance. We scored a goal and we attacked to the end. On the other side, I think a bit of fatigue came into play. Malard came off the bench, showed her quality, drove at our defence and we lost our structure a little bit. Republic of Ireland 1-2 France That was the final chance as Republic of Ireland's late surge falls short. Carla Ward's side led for long stages following Katie Mc Cabe's early goal, but an inspired substitution saw France turn it around with Melvine Malard scoring twice in eight minutes. Next up for Republic of Ireland is a tip to face the Netherlands in Utrecht on Saturday. FT: Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Marie-Antoinette Katoto to the rescue for France as from a scramble inside the box, Denise O'Sullivan thumps at goal but Katoto heads off the line. Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Amber Barrett screaming for a penalty for hand ball but has to be content with a corner. Republic of Ireland 1-2 France Into three minutes of added time. It's all or nothing for the Republic of Ireland now and they are throwing everything at France. Republic of Ireland 1-2 France France now happy to keep possession and invite the hosts to push up. Carla Ward decides to introduce Amber Barrett for Megan Connolly as they search for a late equaliser. Anaïs Ebayilin and Alice Sombath for Kadidiatou Diani and Oriane Jean-Francois complete the French substitutions. Melvine Malard (79 mins) Malard has done it again! The hosts can't manage to clear inside their own box and the ball breaks with Malard finding a gap to find the corner of the net. What a turnaround. Republic of Ireland 1-1 France Katie Mc Cabe thumps in a dangerous ball but Abbie Larkin just can't get to it as Picaud gratefully gathers. Melvine Malard (71 mins) What a substitution that has proven to be as Malard, on the pitch for a matter of moments, cuts through and fires past Brosnan. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France Into the final quarter of the game and both sides look to the bench. Melvine Malard and Dieumerci Ndongala come in for Elisa de Almeida and Perle Morroni on the France team. Republic of Ireland introduce Abbie Larkin for Kyra Carusa. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France Megan Connolly tries to hit Emily Murphy long but again, there is no way past Samoura who mops up again. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France From said free-kick, the ball is pumped into the box and Caitlin Hayes gets free for a header but Picaud gets down to make a super save with the ball heading towards the corner of the net. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France A long ball into Kyra Carusa and a shove on the back gives the hosts a free-kick in French territory. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France Sandy Baltimore cuts onto her left boot but the shot sails wide. Straight after, playing out from the back almost costs the hosts as Katoto closes in on Brosnan but the ball is out for a goal-kick. Needless from the hosts who don't need to give France any further encouragement. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France Republic of Ireland gifted a throw-in and they return the compliment when they had the opportunity to get on the ball in opposition territory. Instead, there's more defending to do for Carla Ward's side. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France France getting success down the right wing but Elisa de Almeida's cross is cut out. Republic of Ireland 1-0 France Rianna Jarrett Republic of Ireland striker on RTE This is exactly the start to the second half that France would have wanted. They look to have gone up a couple of gears. Manchester United forward Melvine Malard scored twice as France came from behind to win At a glance Katie Mc Cabe opened scoring for Republic of Ireland Substitute Melvine Malard netted twice to win game for France Denise O'Sullivan has last-gasp effort cleared off line Carla Ward's side face the Netherlands in second game on Saturday Substitute Melvine Malard scored twice as France came from behind to defeat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 in their opening Women's World Cup qualifier in Dublin. Mc Cabe netted in the 12th minute to give Carla Ward's side the perfect start as France struggled to contain the hosts. Captain Mc Cabe, who is expected to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, raced on to Emily Murphy's pass to fire into the bottom corner. The organised Irish defence frustrated France, but the introduction of Malard sparked a comeback at Tallaght Stadium. The Manchester United forward netted two minutes after coming on to bring France level, and she struck the winner with 11 minutes left after the Republic of Ireland failed to deal with a corner. Denise O'Sullivan thought she had struck an injury-time equaliser but Marie-Antoinette Katoto's superb header off the line sealed the win for France. It was a disappointing result for Ward's side in League A2 despite a strong performance, and they will now look to bounce back in the Netherlands on Saturday in their bid to repeat their historic qualification for the 2023 finals. The Dutch were held to a surprise 2-2 draw in Poland in their opener, and both sides will be under pressure to kick-start their respective campaigns. Katie Mc Cabe's early goal gave the Republic of Ireland a deserved lead at Tallaght Stadium It was a superb first-half performance from the Republic of Ireland, who put France under pressure from the early stages. Megan Connolly's free-kick forced Constance Picaud into a strong save, and Anna Patten should have opened the scoring when she headed straight at the French goalkeeper from the resulting corner. Murphy also had a great opportunity for an early opener when she brought down Aoife Mannion's long ball with a superb touch but her finish lacked power and Picaud easily saved. Mc Cabe's opener was well deserved as she won possession in her own half and found Murphy, who raced forwards with the ball. The Irish captain continued her run into the area and Murphy found her with a neat reverse pass, and Mc Cabe fired low into the net to spark wild celebrations. At the other end, France were limited going forward as Clara Meto and Sakina Karchaoui fired well wide in the visitor's best chances. The pattern continued after the restart as the Irish defence stifled France, who were limited to half opportunities, including an effort from Sandy Baltimore that flew way over the bar. Patten's header from a Mc Cabe free-kick was clawed away by Picaud, and O'Sullivan nearly scored a superb goal as her flicked effort fell just short of beating the French goalkeeper. But France equalised when Malard danced inside Mc Cabe and slotted into the bottom corner past Courtney Brosnan. The Republic responded well and Murphy almost got on the end of Mc Cabe's ball into the area and, at the other end, Chloe Mustaki had to be alert to cut out a dangerous cross. However, Malard struck the decisive goal after a scramble when the Republic failed to deal with a corner. O'Sullivan almost grabbed a dramatic equaliser when she fired towards goal after a goalmouth scramble, but substitute Katoto headed off the line, before she was mobbed by her team-mates for the intervention. When the Republic of Ireland were last in League A for Euro 2025 qualifying, the highlight was their 3-1 victory over France in Cork - the only win of that campaign. For large parts of their World Cup qualifying opener, it looked like they would repeat that historic win as they frustrated and, at times, dominated France. There may be doubts over her club future, but Mc Cabe's important for the Irish cannot be understated and her opener set the tone in a blistering start. However, Ward's side tired in the closing stages and the ultimate lack of strength in depth compared to France proved costly, as Malard showed. There were concerns over knocks to O'Sullivan and Mc Cabe, who also picked up her first yellow card of the campaign, but both players played the full 90 minutes. But the Republic are on the right track and, after becoming the first League B side to win promotion with a play-off victory over a top tier side in Belgium last year, there are plenty of positives to take from their opener. They were left without anything to show for their efforts, but Ward's side have shown they belong in the top tier and will look to back that performance up in the Netherlands on Saturday. Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 3rd March 2026 at 21: 40 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Carla Ward Formation: 5 - 3 - 2 Manager: Laurent Bonadéi Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Manager: Carla Ward Formation: 5 - 3 - 2 Manager: Laurent Bonadéi Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Women's WC Qualification Europe All competitions All competitions All competitions Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.