Ruesha Littlejohn has shared a touching image of herself in an emotional embrace with Katie McCabe after Republic of Ireland's 1-0 win over Scotland on Tuesday evening.
Amber Barrett's second-half goal put Ireland into the lead and for the remaining 20 minutes or so, the Irish team put their bodies on the line to repel a ferocious Scottish onslaught. Wave after wave of pressure came Ireland's way before the referee blew the final whistle after 96 minutes of pulsating action.
Players and staff streamed onto the pitch at the game's conclusion to celebrate with their victorious colleagues. Littlejohn, who missed the game through injury, was one of the first on the pitch and headed straight for her partner Katie McCabe.
READ MORE: Inside Katie McCabe and Ruesha Littlejohn's relationship
Thankfully, a photographer was on hand to capture the image of Littlejohn and the Irish captain celebrating together. The look of sheer joy on both their faces is something to behold as both players come to terms with the magnitude of the team's achievement.
Littlejohn and McCabe first disclosed their relationship to the public in 2019. Speaking about their relationship recently, McCabe told RSVP Live: "It's funny because I've got some teammates who are with people that are not in the football world and they love it.
"But me and Ruesha obviously both play professional football with Arsenal and Aston Villa and we both represent the Republic of Ireland, and having that is great."
She added: "If I come home after a tough day at training, or if maybe a game doesn't go our way, she understands to let the dust settle a little bit. I think we've got a really good balance of that, we know when to switch off from the football talk.
With last night's victory, McCabe will become only the fourth person in history to captain Ireland at a World Cup after Mick McCarthy ('90), Andy Townsend ('94) and Steve Staunton ('02).
"I'm speechless. It doesn't actually feel real to be honest. I'm just so proud of the girls," a still shellshocked McCabe told RTE after the game.
"We worked our socks off tonight. This one [O'Sullivan] covered every inch of Hampden. Everybody was unbelievable - Courtney with the penalty save, Amber coming on, scoring the goal... we're going to a World Cup!
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