Ireland 3-0 Northern Ireland
Eoin Harrington reporting from the Aviva Stadium
The Republic of Ireland made history on Saturday afternoon, as they defeated Northern Ireland 3-0 in the first ever women's international at the Aviva Stadium.
35,944 fans attended the game, off the back of Ireland's similarly historic journey to last summer's World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand.
Goals from Lucy Quinn, Kyra Carusa, and Lily Agg did the job on Saturday, after a performance which saw several familiar and returning faces put in impressive showings.
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Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland: WNT player ratings
Courtney Brosnan - 6.5
Didn't have a whole lot to do but was consistently solid under the high ball, even under pressure from the Northern Irish forwards. Dependable.
Caitlin Hayes - 8
23 September 2023; Caitlin Hayes of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Women's Nations League B1 match between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Hayes looked assured throughout and was by far the most impressive player on the ball for Ireland.
Almost all of their best chances early on came from Hayes' ability to play out from the back, and she barely put a foot wrong defensively either. Has immediately put her hand up as a must in any Ireland team.
Louise Quinn - 6.5
Didn't really put a foot wrong but so much of the game was played down the flanks that there wasn't a huge amount for her to do first-half. Was solid on the occasions she was forced to intervene, as the Irish defence nullified any Northern Irish threat.
Diane Caldwell - 7
Though Caldwell enjoyed a similarly routine afternoon to Louise Quinn beside her, she was nonetheless impressive in breaking up several Northern Irish breaks late in the first half. Didn't put a foot wrong.
Heather Payne - 6.5
23 September 2023; Heather Payne of Republic of Ireland in action against Emily Wilson of Northern Ireland during the UEFA Women's Nations League B1 match between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
A lot of Ireland's joy in the latter stages of the first-half came down the right flank, thanks mostly to Caitlin Hayes' excellent play, but also to Heather Payne's progression of the ball up the pitch.
Some of Ireland's best moments came with her link-up with Denise O'Sullivan, though they perhaps struggled to exploit this as much as they may have liked.
Megan Connolly - 6
Connolly looked somewhat lost in the Ireland midfield at times, with the unexpectedly direct approach sometimes bypassing her.
She had a few nervy moments in possession, but was reliable on the rare occasions Northern Ireland broke on the counter-attack.
Tyler Toland - 7
Returning to the Irish team for the first time in four years, Toland had a largely impressive reintroduction to the midfield alongside Connolly and Denise O'Sullivan.
An excellent through ball after 11 minutes was Ireland's first attacking play of note, while she was also solid in defence. An encouraging return.
Denise O'Sullivan - 7
O'Sullivan showed the most energy of any Irish player in the opening moments, but struggled to find the possession to match her running early on.
As the first-half progressed, she grew in influence and, though her performance lacked a standout moment, she was present in just about any passing move Ireland created from then on. Looked much better in the advanced role she shines in.
Katie McCabe - 7.5
23 September 2023; Katie McCabe of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Women's Nations League B1 match between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
The same role for Katie McCabe as before, but different. The captain was undoubtedly the crowd favourite on Saturday, and she justified the cheers which met her every touch of the ball from the crowd.
Created several chances with her whipped deliveries into the box, and her running created nightmares for the right-hand side of Northern Ireland's defence. Her influence only became greater as the game progressed.
Kyra Carusa - 7
Quieter than her strike partner, but she managed to get in behind the Northern Irish defence on numerous occasions. Got her reward with a long-range strike after a calamitous error from keeper Shannon Turner - she took it with style.
Lucy Quinn - 8
23 September 2023; Lucy Quinn of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the UEFA Women's Nations League B1 match between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Quinn found it difficult to get on the ball in the early stages, but her off-the-ball running was excellent. Her goal - an historic one, the first for the WNT in the national stadium - was a well-taken strike, even if it did take a deflection.
From there, Quinn took control of Ireland's running game up front, and could easily have had another on several occasions. A thoroughly impressive performance up front.
Substitutes
Abbie Larkin - 6.5
Audacious skill mere moments under tight pressure in the box nearly set up Denise O'Sullivan in front of goal. Showed that same energy which has endeared her to Ireland fans, and took on the Northern Irish defence on several occasions. Unlucky not to gain an assist after an excellent cross found the head of Kyra Carusa.
Lily Agg - 6.5
Scored with a bullet header little over two minutes after being introduced. Did brilliantly to get up to the ball. Gains a rating solely for her goalscoring contribution.
Amber Barrett - n/a
Didn't have a huge amount of time to impact the game.
Emily Whelan - n/a
Not on long enough to rate.
Izzy Atkinson - n/a
Not on long enough to rate.
Featured image: Sportsfile
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