Despite Katie McCabe scoring one of the goals of the tournament, it wasn't enough to keep Ireland's 2023 Women's World Cup dreams alive as they were knocked out by Canada on Wednesday.
It was a dream start for the Irish as captain McCabe struck straight from a corner in the fourth minute, her magical delivery soaring over everyone in the box, including the outstretched arms of Canadian keeper Kailen Sheridan.
What kind of goals does only @Katie_McCabe11 score again? 🗣️pic.twitter.com/lGdV815QHi
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) July 26, 2023
In their debut World Cup, the Republic of Ireland dominated the clash against the Olympic champions before the break and looked likely to double their advantage as the rain in Perth became increasingly torrential.
On the stroke of half-time, Canada found a way back into the game against the run of play. Julia Grosso's cross into the box missed her own teammates yet a fluke touch from Ireland's Megan Connolly put it past her own keeper.
With the shift of momentum, the second-half display from the Canadians was radically different from how they began the game - this time, full of urgency and quality.
In the 53rd minute, second-half substitute Sophie Schmidt did well to send a teasing ball into the area for Adriana Leon to poke home and complete their comeback. From then on, it looked like Canada's game to lose.
Canada's Cloe Lacasse entered the game on the hour mark and continued to show promise down the right wing, taking on defenders with pace and agility.
As the Irish gave everything to try to stay in the match and tournament, McCabe nearly scored another fantastic goal, weaving her way through Canadian defenders in the box before her shot was eventually blocked. The Irish captain was ultimately voted the Player of the Match - the third Gunner to do so after Steph Catley and Amanda Ilestedt scooped the prize earlier in the tournament.
The job isn't done for the Canadians yet, however, who still need a result against Australia on 31 July to secure their place in the knockout stages.
Ireland will play their final World Cup match against Nigeria on 31 July, with kick-off at 11.00am GMT.
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