As Irish fans spilled out of Stadium Australia in Sydney’s Olympic Park after Ireland’s first World Cup match against Australia, there were signs of disappointment but not complete discouragement.
Heading towards the train station, there was almost a celebratory mood among some Irish fans, even after the 1-0 loss against the Matildas.
Rachel Murphy, from Dublin and who now lives in Sydney, said the team gave it their all.
“To be honest I thought the score would be worse, because the Matildas are so good. They did us proud.”
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With her was Aoife O’Brien, who also lives in Sydney. She said it was great to see such a high turnout for the women.
“The Irish supporters were all over the place, you could hear us from every corner.”
Sean Quinn, who lives in Sydney and whose father John came over for the World Cup, said he was disappointed but that the team did “really well”.
“We deserved a draw at least out of that. The referee was awful, there was at least one penalty in it for Ireland,” he said.
The Quinns were behind the goals with a large group of Irish fans. “Everyone around us was singing for 90 minutes, it was great to see,” he said.
“We lost the match but we won the sing song,” said John Quinn.
Conor Murphy from Navan also flew over for the World Cup. He said he was disappointed but that the team did well to contain the Matildas.
“I think they could have nicked it in the last 10 minutes,” he said. “We go again in Perth against Canada and will see how we get on.”
Sinead Keane came over from Dublin with her husband Paul and three daughters, Aisling, Aoife and Orlagh, to see the team compete.
Although they were feeling a bit down after the result, excitement levels were still high among the three young girls, who were delighted to be at their first World Cup.
“It’s always going to be a big ask to beat the home team but onwards and upwards,” Keane said.
“I think they did really well, they definitely put up a good show and had them rattled for a lot of the game.”
“It was great but a bit unlucky,” 12-year-old soccer player Aisling said.
The fans took part in some record-making of their own too, making up a crowd of 75,784 – the biggest-ever attendence for a women’s soccer match in Australia.
In the lead-up to the game, Ireland fans sang in packed-out Irish pubs, packed-out trains and at an almost packed-out stadium.
Belting out Amhrán na bhFiann, followed by the Fields of Athenry and Ole! Ole! Ole! interchangeably, the green shirts, although greatly outnumbered by the yellow Australian jerseys, made their voices heard.
But when Australia’s Steph Catley scored the penalty in the second half, the Australian roars ricocheted around the stadium, as if anyone was in doubt about it being a home game.
Earlier on Thursday, before the match, fans soaked up the prematch atmosphere around the city.
The Ireland team also took a match day walk around the iconic harbour area, taking in the sights of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
Heather Payne’s parents, sister and cousins were strolling around Darling Harbour, where the official fan zone is, walking off the nerves.
They had bumped into Heather on the team walk by chance and said she was calm, all things considered.
“Heather’s normally a very calm, relaxed girl. Her outside persona says she’s calm but I’m sure inside she was nervous,” Heather’s father Brendan Payne said.
“She’s just 23 so it’s going to be the biggest game of her life so far, maybe the biggest game ever.”
Even if Heather wasn’t nervous, the nerves were starting to get to them.
“I’m excited but a bit nervous now to be honest,” her mother, Gráinne Payne, said.
“When the match starts, I’ll be a bit nervous,” Heather’s father Brendan said.
“Either way I’ll be nervous. It’s your daughter and you want her to play well and you want the team to play well.”
“This is the biggest match ever. It’s a big occasion,” Brendan said.
“They can only do their best, that’s all they can do really, isn’t it?” Gráinne said.
In a pub in the central business district, Amber Barrett’s brother, Cian, and cousins, Aoife, Bronagh and Caoimhe, were soaking up the atmosphere.
They arrived in on Monday but said that there was “no time for jet lag” with the amount of excitement before the match.
There was a mix of nerves and excitement within the family, but they were happy to see the team’s hard work pay off.
“It’s about time the girls got the recognition. It’s great that the game is sold-out,” Cian said.
“We know how hard Amber’s worked for it. She never stops, even on Christmas Day she’s at it,” Aoife said.
The Paynes and the Barretts said the support in Galway and Donegal has been outstanding, with posters, banners around the towns and messages of support flooding in in advance of the game.
Both families were sure the Irish-Australians and the crowds who had come over especially would be well-capable of getting the atmosphere going for the team. They weren’t wrong.
At an Irish pub in Surry Hills, a sea of green spilled out on to the street, and the light rail tracks, much to the annoyance of the tram drivers who beeped at the crowd only to get cheers and “oles!” in response.
Screaming out Celtic Symphony, Fields of Athenry, and Ole! Ole! Ole!, the fans made their support for the team known.
Luke O’Riordan from Sutton, who was leading some of the chants, said the whole country was behind the women’s team.
“It’s like Italia 90. I wasn’t born but I feel like this is what it was like,” he said, with the Tricolour draped around him.
“If someone told me 10 years ago that 85,00 people would be at a woman’s game, you probably would have laughed, but now, my lads WhatsApp group was pumping all week about this game”.
“We’re buzzing, we’re happy that our country is out here.”
Alicia Linehan from Roscommon was outside the pub too, with Niall Murray from west Cork; Lauren Richardson from Wicklow; Martina Richardson and Patrick Mann from Wicklow. They said they were here especially to support Louise Quinn.
“Unbelievable” and “unmatched” is how they described the atmosphere at the pub, as they shouted to be heard over the enthusiastic chants.
“It’s such an inspiration, we’re so proud, everyone’s in green... What they’ve created will go on for generations,” Richardson said.
As the fans poured out of the stadium on Thursday night, many were heading back into the city to keep the buzz of the women’s first-ever World Cup match and record-breaking crowd alive.
For others, they were looking ahead to the next game against Canada in Perth.
