That is confirmed, Ireland will play Wales in the next round.
That’s all from me for tonight, good night! Stay tuned for the match report and reaction on the Irish Times Sport website.
A big goal for Wales in extra time from Ceri Holland puts them 2-0 up and 3-2 on aggregate. Could be Ireland and Wales next month then, Ireland will be wary after losing 2-0 to Wales in Tallaght earlier this year.
Julie-Ann Russell to RTÉ: “It was an unbelievable start to the game, it was good to get a goal to get settled. I think we should have got a few more goals to be honest, but a win’s a win. We have two cup finals to come to make the Euros.”
Full-time: Ireland 3 Georgia 0
Job done then. Not a game that will live long in the memory with all the work done in the first leg, but some nice moments, particularly the brilliant assist of Stapleton for the second goal.
90 mins: A 9-0 lead on aggregate, the game has petered out as Ireland begin to think about the next game to qualify for Euro 2025 next month.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
92 mins: Late chance for Molloy, the keeper punched away an Atkinson cross and almost a great finish, but just over the bar.
82 mins: Off comes Russell after another good performance, young talent Ellen Molloy gets a chance off the bench.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
Wales and Slovakia is going to extra time then as it’s 2-2 on aggregate after 90 minutes.
77 mins: Good cross by Atkinson into the box, Russell gets a touch on it but well wide.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
74 mins: McCabe is replaced by Leanne Kiernan to a big applause for the hometown girl. She gives the captain’s armband to O’Sullivan. 8,745 tonight, the biggest crowd the Irish time have had in Tallaght.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
71 mins: Chance for Ireland, Russell enterprising as always but can’t quite get it through to Agg and straight at the keeper.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
It’s still 1-0 to Wales against Slovakia with five minutes of normal time left. That one could go to extra time.
60 mins: Heather Payne and Izzy Atkinson are on for Ireland as the squad gets a run out. First shot of the game for Georgia. Bakradze tests Brosnan, but a comfortable save.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
55 mins: Agg almost gets a goal as Carusa lays it back in the box but her shot is blocked out for a corner. The keeper punches the ball out, just about, and from the attack there is another corner. McCabe takes a short corner to O’Sullivan, one-two and...
GOAL FOR IRELAND! McCabe with a brilliant strike in at the near post. Makes up for the penalty miss.
Ireland 3 Georgia 0
49 mins: Another penalty shout for McCabe in the box after a coming together but it’s waved away. Same pattern as the last half, Georgia holding on with numbers back.
Ireland 2 Georgia 0
The second half has begun, Lily Agg is off the bench.
45 mins: Another penalty shout for Ireland but not given this time as it’s four minutes added time. Denise O’Sullivan felt it should have been given from a dangerous ball in the box.
Ireland 2 Georgia 0
45+2 mins: Bad miss by Russell. Stapleton belts one from just outside the box and it’s saved, but Russell slices the ball wide from eight yards out. Should have scored.
Half-time: Ireland 2 Georgia 0
8-0 on aggregate then. Good performance by Ireland against very weak opposition, but will be slightly disappointed not to be 4 of 5 up.
It’s 1-0 at half-time between Wales and Slovakia.
33 mins: Ireland miss penalty! Immediately after kickoff Carusa is on the charge and wins a penalty. Katie McCabe misses the target completely, hit over the bar. Georgia avoid conceding twice in a few minutes.
Ireland 2 Georgia 0
31 mins: GOAL FOR IRELAND! There were go! Carusa gets the second goal. Nice goal too. An unbelievable backheel flip by Jessie Stapleton to set up Carusa in front of goal, who fires past the keeper. Stunning touch by Stapleton. World-class.
Ireland 2 Georgia 0
30 mins: Good play by Russell, beats her marker and gets in a cross but overhit. A slightly frustrating period for Ireland though, they would like another goal for the home crowd after all the dominance.
Ireland 1 Georgia 0
Goal for Wales against Slovakia. Big goal from their star player Jess Fishlock, now it’s 2-2 on aggregate with 50 minutes to go in Cardiff. Ireland should play the winner as they are 7-0 up on aggregate.
17 mins: Another great delivery by Katie McCabe, right into the six-yard box, but nobody there to pounce on it from the corner. A nice nutmeg by Denise O’Sullivan nearly creates another chance. Then a great run down the byline by Larkin and ball into the box but Georgia survive.
Ireland 1 Georgia 0
11 mins: Good ball in from a corner by McCabe, Carusa gets on the end at the back post but heads it wide.
Ireland 1 Georgia 0
8 mins: Russell looking for a second takes a shot from just outside the box but straight at the keeper.
Ireland 1 Georgia 0
3 mins: GOAL FOR IRELAND! Didn’t take long. Some early pressure from Georgia but Ireland start to get a hold of the ball. Ball falls to Sheva after Carusa took down a ball by McCabe. Sheva hit it straight at the keeper but Russell hits it in the corner from the rebound.
Ireland 1 Georgia 0
The teams are out for the national anthems. Kickoff shortly.
Marissa Sheva starts tonight and the Portland Thorns player celebrated her return to the international stage for the first time in 15 months with a goal against Georgia. She spoke with Mary Hannigan a few days ago:
[ Marissa Sheva glad to be back playing her part for the Republic of IrelandOpens in new window ]
Wales against Slovakia has kicked off at the Cardiff City Stadium, no goal in the opening minutes.
Ireland’s team announced:
Ireland team v Georgia: Courtney Brosnan; Marissa Sheva, Caitlin Hayes, Anna Patten, Aoife Mannion; Abbie Larkin, Jessie Stapleton, Denise O’Sullivan, Katie McCabe; Kyra Carusa, Julie-Ann Russell.
So a very strong team then considering, some of the big hitters start.
One fan is certainly hoping that Amber Barrett starts tonight and scores a few goals:
Mary Hannigan’s match preview:
“[Eileen Gleeson’s] call on her players to be ‘ruthless’ against Georgia is likely to be heard, after all in the nations’ last three meetings Ireland have scored 26 goals without reply. But with the game a sell-out she wants them to put on show for the home crowd.
“Courtney Brosnan, suspended for the first leg, is likely to return to the line-up, while Tyler Toland will probably be omitted after picking up a booking in that game – one more and she’d be unavailable next time around. Jessie Stapleton could fill that holding midfield role, while Leanne Kiernan will be pushing for a start, possibly in place of Julie-Ann Russell who could be rested for this one, having made a hell of an impact since her international return.
“Niamh Fahey, Heather Payne and Amber Barrett, all unused in Tbilisi, would welcome game time too, as would Izzy Atkinson who only came on in injury time.”
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Euro 2025 playoff semi-final between Ireland and Georgia, which kicks off at 7.30pm in Tallaght. Ireland won the first leg a comfortable 6-0 at home, writing Mary Hannigan about the game in Tbilisi:
“It wasn’t quite the cruise that the last meetings with Georgia were, those 2023 World Cup qualifying 11-0 and 9-0 drubbings, but the Republic of Ireland’s 6-0 playoff victory in Tbilisi on Friday nudges them one step closer to making it to the European Championships for the first time,” she writes.
“Two goals from Katie McCabe, a sublime finish from Kyra Carusa and first international goals for Jessie Stapleton, Marissa Sheva and Aoife Mannion should – barring a Georgia comeback of biblical proportions – make Tuesday’s return leg in Tallaght a formality.”
So yes, the result of the tie should be a formality, barring a several thousand to one chance but Ireland would still like to put that to bed with a few early goals tonight. Some of the stars are likely to be rested, with fringe players having a chance to shine. Eileen Gleeson will have one eye on the Wales-Slovakia game in the playoff semi-final, the winner should play Ireland next month with a spot in Euro 2025 up for grabs. Wales are 2-1 down to Slovakia after the first leg, so that one could go down to the wire.
