World Cup podcast special: Ireland WNT v France preview

John, can you set the scene for us after Friday night's remarkable 3-2 defeat of the Netherlands in Cork? What is it that Ireland need to do? What are the scenarios that can take them through to the World Cup or not?

Yeah.

Well, I- Ireland's ...

The sim- the simple permutation is that, that Ireland have their destiny in their own hands, in that if they beat France, they then go ahead of them on the top of the table right at the end of the campaign.

A bit like what happened when the men's team leapfrogged Hungary right at the death in November.

So yeah, as you mentioned there, Friday's win against the Netherlands, uh, team who are, you know, have been in sort of the top 10 in the world, certainly wasn't necessarily foreseen.

Uh, but I think the fact that Ireland already had a playoff guaranteed, uh, engendered some liberation in them, uh, that they really had nothing to lose, uh, on Friday.

And it's sort of the same scenario tomorrow.

This isn't knockout per se.

Um, you have more to gain than lose that, uh, win the game and you have one of those coveted spots.

And as you mentioned, there's only four direct tickets to Brazil next year.

Um, but yeah, if even if Ireland get, get a draw here, okay, they're not gonna leapfrog, uh, France in that scenario, but, uh, it would mean that they go into the playoff later in the year in great spirits having beaten the Dutch and drawn with the French.

Teams that they lost narrowly to 2-1, uh, in the opening series of games back in March when they were lucky, uh, to come out with no points.

So yeah, it's, ev- everything is really in Ireland's favor and the, the pressure is all on the French, uh, 'cause they lost to the Netherlands, uh, in the previous window, uh, which means that they'd have to play catch-up.

They beat Poland 2-0 on Friday, and that sort of puts them in command, uh, over here now with the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble.

So it's a cup final.

That's the only way you can really describe it.

Yeah.