Soccer

Ireland finally break down Georgia as goals flow late on in Tbilisi

Three goals in the closing stages leaves Eileen Gleeson’s side in complete control of playoff tie ahead of Dublin return

Ireland’s Katie McCabe celebrates scoring her side’s third goal from a long-range effort during the Euro 2025 round one, first leg playoff against Georgia at the Mikheil Meskhi II Stadium in Tbilisi. Photograph: Aleksandar Djorovic/Inpho
Ireland’s Katie McCabe celebrates scoring her side’s third goal from a long-range effort during the Euro 2025 round one, first leg playoff against Georgia at the Mikheil Meskhi II Stadium in Tbilisi. Photograph: Aleksandar Djorovic/Inpho
Mary Hannigan
Fri Oct 25 2024 - 19:40
Euro 2025 playoff 1st Rd, 1st Leg: Georgia 0 Republic of Ireland 6

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.

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.

After which manager Eileen Gleeson will set her sights on another two-leg playoff against either Slovakia or Wales (November 29th and December 3rd). If they can come through that challenge, they’ll qualify for the Euros in Switzerland next summer.

It was only in the last half-hour of the game that Ireland pulled away against a side ranked 94 places below them in the Fifa list. Until then, it was a tale of frustration.

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In the absence of the suspended Courtney Brosnan, London City Lionesses’ Grace Moloney made her first start for Ireland since June 2021. This was just her seventh cap having made her debut eight years ago, spending the bulk of her time as understudy to Emma Byrne and then Brosnan.

Gleeson opted for Abbie Larkin and McCabe as wing backs, but with three centre backs in the team – Caitlin Hayes, Anna Patten and Mannion – they spent considerably more time attacking than defending. Tyler Toland anchored midfield, with Lily Agg and Denise O’Sullivan pushed forward in support of the front two, Carusa and Julie-Ann Russell.

Barely a minute of the game had passed when O’Sullivan shaved the left post with a shot from the edge of the box. And moments later Larkin fired just wide from a McCabe corner. The tone was set, the Irish pressure relentless. Russell in particular was creating a heap of trouble for Georgia down the left, Gvantsa Kadagishvili booked for hacking her down after just six minutes.

But the home side showed a whole lot more resilience and organisation after that early storm than they did in the most recent meetings between the teams. When Ireland last played in Georgia they were three up after 18 minutes, but it took them 37 minutes this time around to get their first. And by then Georgia had a spring in their step, Ana Cheminava testing Moloney with a free from the left.

Aoife Mannion celebrates with team-mates after scoring Ireland's sixth goal against Georgia in Tbilisi. Photograph: Aleksandar Djorovic/Inpho
Aoife Mannion celebrates with team-mates after scoring Ireland's sixth goal against Georgia in Tbilisi. Photograph: Aleksandar Djorovic/Inpho

Ireland took a grip of the game again, though, O’Sullivan and Larkin both wasting good opportunities to open the scoring. But Georgia finally undid all their early hard work when both Nino Chkhartishvili and Natia Danelia got a hand on Larkin’s cross from the right. McCabe buried the ensuing penalty in to the bottom-left corner, that her 27th goal in 90 appearances – not a bad return for someone who has played a good chunk of that time at left back.

Still, it was a decidedly underwhelming first half from Ireland who weren’t remotely as clinical with their finishing as they were in those earlier encounters with, an admittedly vastly improved, Georgia. Carusa came closest to doubling the lead seven minutes into the second half when her header from a McCabe free bounced off the crossbar, but the San Diego Wave striker finally made it 2-0 with a brilliant back-heeled finish from Larkin’s cross.

A long-range punt from McCabe after 67 minutes made it 3-0, Georgian goalkeeper Tatia Gabunia mislaying her bearings, and after an interminable VAR check Stapleton’s goal from McCabe’s corner was given the green light eight minutes from time.

By then, the Georgian dam had burst. Come injury-time, Sheva’s looping strike from the left of the box nestled in the top right corner, and Mannion headed home a McCabe free to make it 6-0. Georgia had faded, Ireland amped it up. A late, late show, but job done.

Over in Poprad, Wales had a ‘mare, trailing the lower-ranked Slovakia 2-0 with a minute to go. But Ffion Morgan pulled a goal back, so Tuesday’s return in Cardiff should be tasty. And a bit more competitive, you’d imagine, than the contest over in Tallaght.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Moloney (London City Lionesses); Larkin (Crystal Palace), Mannion (Manchester United), Patten (Aston Villa), Hayes (Celtic), McCabe (capt, Arsenal); Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Agg (Birmingham City); O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage); Carusa (San Diego Wave), Russell (Galway United).

Subs: Sheva (Portland Thorns) for Agg (56 mins); Stapleton (Sunderland) for Toland, Kiernan (Liverpool) for Carusa (both 75); Atkinson (Crystal Palace) for Russell (90+4).

GEORGIA: Gabunia (Lanchkhuti); Narisa (Lanchkhuti), Chkhartishvili (Lanchkhuti), Kalandadze (Lanchkhuti), Gasviani (Kvartali); Bebia (Nike-Lusso), Danelia (Kvartali), Pasikashvili (Kvartali); Cheminava (capt, Hapoel Tel Aviv), Khaburzania (Lanchkhuti), Kadagishvili (Lanchkhuti).

Referee: Emanuela Rusta (Albania).

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times