That’s it from us with the live blog for tonight. Thank you for joining us on what was a significant evening for Irish football. It’s all still to play for when the sides run out at the Aviva Stadium next Tuesday. Join us then for what we hope will be a history-making night in Dublin for Ireland.
Here’s Gavin Cumiskey’s report from Cardiff.
Mary Hannigan’s TV View: ‘1-1. As they say in the trade: finely balanced.’
David Gorman scores Littlejohn and O’Sullivan highest as he rates the Ireland players from tonight’s 1-1 draw in Cardiff.
[ How the Irish players rated in Euro 2025 playoff first legOpens in new window ]
Ireland’s player of the match Ruesha Littlejohn hopes Ireland’s experience and maturity can prove to be the difference in Dublin next Tuesday.
We’re not going anywhere just yet either - we’ll bring you Gavin Cumiskey’s report from Cardiff shortly and any other reaction we get from tonight’s 1-1 draw.
FULL-TIME: Wales 1 Ireland 1
Probably a fair result on the night in Cardiff. It ensures this play-off remains all to play for in Dublin next Tuesday. It should be a cracker, because there was plenty of bite in this opening game. Everything is on the line at the Aviva next week.
92mins: Good work down the left by Wales but they fail to take advantage of a nice cross. Ireland break down the field and hoping to create one late last chance.
90mins: Four minutes of added time announced.
89mins: Amber Barrett replaces Kyra Carusa.
85mins: Just five minutes of normal time remaining. Ireland have been better in these closing stages than they were for much of the second half. Still 1-1 though as the game enters the closing stages.
A record attendance for the Welsh women’s team in Cardiff of 16,845 announced.
78mins: Double sub by Ireland - Leeane Kiernan and Jessie Stapleton come on, Littlejohn and Russell make way.
76mins: Oooooo, nice shot by Caitlin Hayes forces a good save by Clarke, who pushes the ball over for another corner. Better from Ireland.
74mins: Finally a decent passage of play down the right for Ireland, who force a corner.
70mins: Littlejohn and Fishlock booked. A bit of afters following a free awarded to Wales. Courtney Brosnan saves the free from Fishlock.
69mins: With just over 20 minutes left, one wonders will Ireland make some changes to try ignite a spark. Wales still showing all the endeavour.
63mins: Ireland on the backfoot right now, they have just cleared two Welsh corners but pressure being applied by the home side. Wales certainly having the better of things since the start of the second half. The tempo and flow of the match currently being dictated by the team in red. Ireland need to string some passages of play together.
59mins: Littlejohn is covering some amount of ground, she is popping up everywhere and having a strong, positive influence on the game for Ireland. Plenty of strong challenges going in across the pitch - sense there isn’t much love between the sides.
53mins: Wales have created a couple of chances in the early stages of this second half while Ireland are still waiting to get motoring after the resumption of play.
48mins: Morgan fires wide of the Irish goal. The Welsh striker was able to cut through the middle of the Irish defence but her shot was off target.
46mins: Second-half is underway. Both sides make one change. For Ireland, Marissa Sheva replaces Lily Agg.
HALF-TIME: Wales 1 Ireland 1.
Ireland were the better team for much of the first half but they did drift out of it midway through the opening period, during which time Wales scored. A slice of fortune (albeit after a wonderful shot by Littlejohn) revived Ireland and they will be hoping to build on that in the second half.
They all count!
To be fair to Littlejohn, while there was a smattering of luck about how the ball ended up in the back of the net, she did seem to spot the goalkeeper off her line and struck the ball sweetly with her right foot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
35mins: GOAL for Ireland. A large slice of good fortune about this one. A speculative shot from Ruesha Littlejohn is fingertipped off the woodwork but rebounds back off Wales goalkeeper Clark before bouncing over the line. 1-1.
33mins: The goal appears to have really steadied Wales. They are looking threatening down the right flank when they get the ball out wide. Ireland probably need to inject some energy to their play right now. All gone a bit flat for the visitors.
Here is the goal that has Wales leading 1-0
24mins: That’s a big setback for Ireland because the visitors had been the better team for the opening quarter hour of the match. Defensively, Ireland will be disappointed with the manner of that goal.
20mins: GOAL for Wales. The Welsh get down the right and the Ireland defence fails to deal with the cross. Woodham with the finish. The ball really should have been cleared. 1-0 Wales.
19mins: Decent period for Wales, who appear to have finally settled after soaking up some early Irish pressure.
14mins: Corner for Ireland but McCabe’s delivery is very deep and Wales eventually scramble away the danger again. This is good pressure from Ireland. Wales struggling to build anything substantial at the other end of the pitch.
11mins: Some nice play by Katie McCabe creates a chance outside the box for Denise O’Sullivan but Wales clear the danger. Kyra Carusa then with a neat header to Julie-Ann Russell but again Wales survive. Better from Ireland. They are creating more than the hosts.
9mins: Ireland certainly look the more physical of the sides. A couple of meaty tackles have already been put in by the girls in white.
5mins: Very stop-start opening to proceedings. Both teams are trying to figure each other out, no flow to the game as of yet. Ireland have put in a couple of decent challenges, though.
1min: Wales get the game underway but Ireland quickly gain possession.
The teams are on the pitch, the anthems are being belted out. It’s almost showtime in Cardiff.
Eileen Gleeson speaking before the game.
Ireland will be in white tonight.
The teams are in for tonight’s game in Cardiff:
Ireland: Brosnan (Everton); Payne (Everton), Patten (Aston Villa), Hayes (Celtic), Fahey (Liverpool), McCabe (Arsenal); Agg (Birmingham City), O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Littlejohn (London City Lionesses); Russell (Galway United), Carusa (San Diego Wave).
Wales: Clark (FC Twente); Roberts (Real Betis), Ladd (Manchester United), Evans (Liverpool), Woodham (Crystal Palace); Holland (Liverpool), James (Seattle Reign), Griffiths (Southampton), Morgan (Bristol City); Rowe (Southampton), Fishlock (Seattle Reign).
Leanne Kiernan on chasing her dreams in football: “I remember, moving abroad, I told my parents, ‘Listen, I love football and this is why I am doing the job but if there is ever a point that I don’t like it any more, I think I’d hang up my boots and come home.’
[ Liverpool striker back in form and ready to contribute in play-off against WalesOpens in new window ]
Karen Duggan on the importance of this play-off for Ireland - a result that will have an impact well beyond the pitch.
That match preview from Gavin:
“If they lose out to Wales, the FAI will need to explain their decisions since the World Cup ended amid accusations and recriminations.
Specifically, why Gleeson was given the Nations League B campaign last year as a trial run, and why, after six straight wins, the coaching ticket got short-term contracts to bring Ireland to Euro 2025?”
[ Ireland v Wales preview: Eileen Gleeson’s side braced for high-stakes encounterOpens in new window ]
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Ireland’s first leg away to Wales in the women’s Euro 2025 playoffs, with history at stake, a first time in the tournament for the Irish team. David Gorman here, soon passing onto the capable hands of Gordon Manning closer to kickoff. Gavin Cummiskey is in Wales and he sets the scene “This marks the beginning of the end or the acceleration of a golden period for women’s football in Ireland. Either way, the stakes are off the charts with all roads leading to the second leg at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday.”
A big one then. Kick-off is 7.15pm at the Cardiff City Stadium. The starting team will follow when available.
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic)
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Sunderland, on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Carolina), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Heather Payne (Everton), Marissa Sheva (Portland Thorns), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Julie-Ann Russell (Galway United).
