Wales broke new ground in Dublin on Tuesday night as they qualified for the first major women’s tournament in their nation’s history. A 2-1 win for Rhian Wilkinson’s side thanks to goals from Hannah Cain and Carrie Jones earned them a 3-2 aggregate victory over Republic of Ireland and booked their spot at next summer’s European Championship in Switzerland.
Wilkinson, who took over the manager’s role in February, was full of pride at her team’s achievements. “The most incredible thing is that I’m new here. I showed up for the sprint end of a marathon,” she said. “I see all these staff who have been through the whole ride and how proud they are and that is what makes it for me. I am so proud … That’s the emotional part for me.
“Huge credit to the Irish team. They left nothing out there. Sometimes football is a matter of fate and the matter of the bounce of a ball. That was what it was. The ball bounced our way at the critical moment and that’s all there was between the two today.”
The tension was palpable inside the Aviva Stadium as the game got under way, both teams knowing they carried the weight of history on their shoulders. Despite Wales registering the first shot on target, it was the hosts who ramped up the pressure. Ireland’s first attempt of note fell to Denise O’Sullivan, who curled a 20-yard effort past the outstretched hand of Olivia Clark but agonisingly on to the crossbar. Katie McCabe then drove a shot wide before Julie-Ann Russell forced Clark into a superb finger-tip save.
Having weathered the Irish storm, it was the visitors’ turn to exert pressure. A driven Lily Woodham free-kick stung the gloves of Courtney Brosnan before the keeper made an equally excellent stop to deny an instinctive Rhiannon Roberts effort.
The game was in danger of teetering over the edge and McCabe was perhaps fortunate to stay on the pitch, while tempers on the bench were frayed throughout. Eileen Gleeson, Ireland’s manager, was particularly unhappy with the conduct of the Wales bench at times.
The deadlock was broken shortly after the restart when the referee penalised Anna Patten for a handball after a VAR check. Cain dispatched the spot-kick to the delight of the travelling support.
As Ireland tried to find an equaliser, the match became stretched with Wales looking to hurt them on the transition. Angharad James served the hosts a warning before they made it count. Carrie Jones, on for the injured Jess Fishlock, shrugged off the attention of Caitlin Hayes before bearing down on goal. With only the keeper to beat, she finished clinically to double her side’s advantage.
Patten’s late header gave the home fans hope but, despite the pressure, Wales held on for a famous victory.
