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    Cymru vs. Republic of Ireland | 2025 European Women’s Championship – WEQ Play-offs Round 2

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        Live ReportMatch Summary

        1. Rhiannon Roberts was voted the EE Player of the Match.

        2. 📸 Josie Green poses for selfies with fans in a lovely moment following the full-time whistle.

        5. Match Summary

          The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Play-Off Final is finely in the balance after the first-leg in Cardiff ended in a 1-1 draw. The teams meet again on Tuesday (3 December) for the second-leg, where one of them will learn their fate and qualify for EURO 2025. 

          In Cardiff, Cymru opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Jess Fishlock’s dangerous cross from the right saw a defender’s clearance sliced into the path of Lily Woodham, who had run into the box from the left wing. She netted with confidence. The lead lasted just over 10 minutes and whilst Cymru were in a period of composure, despite some Irish advancements.

          As Ruesha Littlejohn struck from distance, she had Olivia Clark beaten, however, the ball hit the crossbar. Unfortunately for Clark, the ball rebounded against the back of her head and crossed the line. It was an incredibley unfortunate own goal.

          There was nothing between the teams during this encounter with both well matched. Whilst neither team could find a winner, they both went close in the second half. 

          Rhiannon Roberts went close with a header from a corner but her effort was headed behind with some last ditch defending. Shortly after Caitlin Hayes thought she’d won it for  Republic of Ireland with a well hit strike. However, Olivia Clark pulled off an amazing one handed save with the ball coming at her with ferocious speed.

          Neither team will be disappointed with the result but Ireland may fancy their chances a little more – and will certainly be favourites – when back in front of a home crowd at the Aviva Stadium. However, Cymru are incredibly hungry for an appearance at their first major tournament.

        6. FULL-TIME

          The full-time whistle is blown on this first-leg with the teams tied going to Dublin on Tuesday (3 December).

        8. 89'

          Substitution

          AMBER BARRETT replaces KYRA CARUSA

        9. 88'

          Substitution

          ESTCOURT Charlotte replaces WOODHAM Lily

        11. 📸 What a save!

        12. 80'

          Yellow card

          ROWE Rachel

        13. 80'

          There’s 10 minutes left to this first-leg tie. Cymru will be desperate to find a winner to take to Dublin next week.

        14. 80'

          Substitution

          GREEN Josie replaces HOLLAND Ceri

        15. 79'

          Substitution

          LEANNE KIERNAN replaces JULIE RUSSELL

        16. 77'

          Substitution

          JESSIE STAPLETON replaces RUESHA LITTLEJOHN

        17. 76'

          Clark pulls off an amazing save to tip the ball over the bar from Hayes’ effort as Republic of Ireland enjoy a period of pressure.

        18. 71'

          Fishlock takes the free kick but Brosnan dives to her left to collect the ball.

        19. 70'

          Yellow card

          RUESHA LITTLEJOHN

        20. 70'

          Yellow card

          FISHLOCK Jessica Anne

        21. 70'

          Substitution

          BARTON Kayleigh replaces MORGAN Ffion Alys

        22. 69'

          Cymru have a dangerous free kick after Rowe was fouled. Great chance here.

        23. 64'

          From the pressure of the resulting corner, the ball ball eventually comes to Jones on the edge of the box. Her strike was heading towards the top righthand corner but Brosnan gets across to meet it.

        24. 63'

          Rowe forces a corner, which Holland takes. She find Roberts who sees her header, headed away for another corner.

        25. 48'

          The ball breaks for Morgan with Brosnan out of position. As the Irish keeper scurries back Morgan opens up space to shoot around a defender. The effort is sent off target. It looked a good opportunity.

        26. The second half is underway as Republic of Ireland take kick off.

        27. Half-time summary

          Cymru opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Jess Fishlock’s dangerous cross from the right saw a defender’s clearance sliced into the path of Lily Woodham, who’d run into the box from the left wing. She netted with confidence. The lead lasted just over 10 minutes and whilst Cymru were in a period of composure, despite some Irish advancements.

          As Ruesha Littlejohn struck from distance, she had Olivia Clark beaten, however, the ball hit the crossbar. Unfortunately for Clark, the ball rebounded against the back of her head and crossed the line. It was an incredible unfortunate own goal.

          The tie is all square at the break in this first-leg of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Play-Off Semi-Final.

        28. The Irish celebrate their equaliser here in Cardiff.

        29. 40'

          Woodham sends a Cymru corner to the far post but Brosnam collects without challenge.

        31. 35'

          It’s all level as Republic of Ireland score when a shot by Littlejohn strikes the crossbar and hits Clark on the back of her head for an own goal. So unfortunate for the Cymru goalkeeper.

        32. 34'

          Goal

          RUESHA LITTLEJOHN

        33. 33'

          Republic of Ireland go so close to equalising but Russell is denied by some committed Cymru defending as her shot is blocked inside the box.

        36. Woodham enjoyed that one as she puts Cymru in the lead in this UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Play-Off Semi-Final.

        37. ❤️

        38. 21'

          GÔL!!!! WOODHAM NETS FOR CYMRU.

          Woodham gets on the end of Fishlock’s cross into the box and as the Republic of Ireland defence fail to deal with the ball.

        39. 20'

          Goal

          WOODHAM Lily

        40. 17'

          A freekick for Cymru allows them to pump the ball into the box. The Irish defence backtracks but under pressure were able to clear the danger.

        41. 📸 The starting XI.

        42. 11'

          Cymru keep surrendering possession to Ireland and were nearly made to pay as Russell shoots over the crossbar. The visitors are more settled on the ball.

        43. 1'

          KICK OFF!

          Cymru get the match underway as Morgan takes kick off.

        44. '

          Substitution

          MARISSA SHEVA replaces LILY AGG

        45. '

          Substitution

          JONES Carrie replaces GRIFFITHS Alice

        46. Cymru are unchanged from the play-off semi-final second-leg against Slovakia.

        49. Cymru captain, Angharad James and her teammates have arrived at the stadium.

        51. This is who starts for Cymru against the Republic of Ireland in this first-leg of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Play-Off Final.

        52. A record breaking crowd will be inside Cardiff City Stadium for the match.

        56. The Cymru players have been enjoying a stroll ahead of the match before they prepare to make their way to Cardiff City Stadium.

        57. Fishlock enjoying the moment

          Jess Fishlock will have a key role to play if Rhian Wilkinson’s side are to qualify for a first major tournament, but despite the pressure, the all-time record Cymru appearance holder and goalscorer is happy just to take it all in.

          “How can you enjoy something if you’re constantly thinking about something else?” said Fishlock in an interview with The Athletic this week “Winning international games is not easy. Winning club games is not easy. Your career is so short. It’s only a split second of your life. You have to enjoy those moments.”

          “For me, it’s just like, ‘We’ll get there when we get there,’ so have a bit of patience. When you’re younger starting your career, you’re always thinking about the next thing. Where am I going to get my next contract? Where’s my next club? How can I get to the highest level? I want to win this and that.

          “It’s really hard in those moments to understand that the thing about being present is you affect the future, especially when something that you really want is so close. It’s hard to not think about that, but if you think about it too much, you end up being there instead of being present when it should be, ‘Let’s just focus on what we’re here to do right now’, which is to try and win a game.”

          The 37-year old midfielder has recently extended her contract with Seattle Reign, but representing her country on the biggest stage remains the main ambition in her illustrious playing career.

          “It will be the biggest achievement, without a doubt,” she explained. “But the truth is, it hasn’t been achieved yet. I don’t really like talking about it from a future perspective. I’d just rather just do it with everybody after the fact, if that makes sense. But I also understand that that is not how this works, and that’s OK.”

        60. Wilkinson embracing incredible occasion

          Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson completed her final training session earlier today and spoke to the media about the huge EURO Play-Off Final against the Republic of Ireland on Friday night.

          “We are excited and we’ve talked throughout the campaign about opportunity and privilege,” Wilkinson told BBC Sport Wales. “Part of my job is to just stay out of the players’ way because they are ready, they are excited and enjoying being together. We have worked hard to be in this position.”

          Cymru will take to the field with a record crowd behind them and will look to use that support and home advantage to give themselves the advantage before they head to Dublin for the return match on Tuesday night.

          “We want to take this opportunity that we have in front of us,” Wilkinson added. “I think it will be a real battle. These are two countries that take the opportunity to grow the game very seriously.” Both nations are looking to qualify for the EURO’s for the first time, a fact that adds to the intensity of the occasion.

          “I think it will be a showcase game,” said Wilkinson. “Two teams who want to fight for their country and see where they can get to. The occasion is inspiring. This is the exciting part, it’s what the players have been working for, for a long time. I hope having the support of the crowd behind us can be a difference-maker.”

        64. Different Cymru challenge

          The Republic of Ireland head coach Eileen Gleeson is expecting a different challenge to what her side faced in February’s friendly against Cymru at Tallaght Stadium.

          “What we learned was about ourselves in that game – it was a friendly game, both teams using other players, different squads. I don’t think we learned anything that we didn’t know,” said Gleeson in her pre-match press conference.

          “What I do know is we’re a different team to what we were in February. Wales are also different. You’re never the same team twice. And for us, it highlights to us the quality Wales have. I do think it will be an evenly matched tie and we’re looking forward to that.”

        68. Media duty

          Cymru trio Ffion Morgan, Alice Griffiths and Hayley Ladd spoke to the media this week ahead of Friday’s huge match against the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff.

          All three press conferences are available to watch on RedWall+ where you can also find a host of free and exclusive content from the international and domestic game.

          Click here to access RedWall+ and check out all this incredible content now

        71. The Olivia Clark Column

          In her latest column for BBC Sport Wales, Cymru goalkeeper Olivia Clark discusses a range of topics including the upcoming EURO Play-Off Final and learning Dutch at her new club.

          “We know what the next two games mean,” said Clark. “We know what the objective is and of course, we are all hugely excited about the prospect of trying to qualify for a first major finals.

          “We know that we will have to play better than we did at times in our semi-final win over Slovakia to get past tough opponents in the Republic of Ireland, but we feel we have taken an awful lot from the semi-final.

          “Perhaps if we had cruised through in the semi-final it wouldn’t have been as helpful in terms of our preparation for the final. The fight we showed, the quality we showed in the second game and our mentality as well… we didn’t stop believing.

          “Slovakia were a good team – they were good at what they did and in the second game we nullified their threat, took care of the defensive side of the game and played in a very controlled way.”

          Click here for the full column on the BBC Sport Wales website

        73. All smiles

          The preparations continue for the Cymru squad this week as the hugely-anticipated Play-Off Final against the Republic of Ireland moves closer.

          Jess Fishlock and Lily Woodham (both below) were the goalscorers when the two sides met in February as Cymru registered a 2-0 friendly victory. However, the stakes are much higher this time around with a place at EURO 2025 the reward for the winners of the tie.

          A new record home attendance for the Cymru women’s team will be set on Friday with over 15,500 tickets sold for the 1st leg and another fantastic atmosphere is expected. Don’t miss your chance to experience what will be a memorable night at the Cardiff City Stadium.

          Click here to buy tickets for Cymru v Republic of Ireland

        75. Griffiths confident ahead of Ireland test

          Cymru midfielder Alice Griffiths played an important role in the Play-Off Semi-Final victory over Slovakia and sat down with the media on Tuesday.

          “For us, it’s just two more games, but there’s no hiding from the fact that they’re very important games,” Griffiths explained. “We know what’s at stake.

          “It’s going to be really tough, but we know we have a good chance and we’re going to go into it full of confidence. We want to go to Dublin the best position possible, we want to go out there and give the best account of ourselves.”

          A record crowd for a home Cymru women’s international will be set on Friday night with over 15,500 tickets sold. “It’s fantastic to have that level support, and hopefully we can keep building on that,” Griffiths added. “Players are expected to play on the big stage as when you play internationally, big crowds come with that.”

          Griffiths was also asked about the influence of Jess Fishlock ahead of this decisive tie. “It’s great to have someone like Jess,” she explained. “She has the ability to turn up and do something special in the big games.

          “What Jess has done for Welsh football speaks for itself and it’s important that we have players like her. She has an affect on the rest of the team.”

        78. Morgan thriving in forward role

          Ffion Morgan scored what proved to be a crucial goal against Slovakia in the 1st leg of the Play-Off Semi-Final and is enjoying her new attacking role for club and country ahead of Friday’s huge match.

          “My whole position has changed so now I have to learn to play more centrally,” she explained to the media on Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve always looked to pass or create something, but now I’m the one on the end of it. If I’m on the pitch I’m happy, but I have attacking threats that I want to use and ideally that’s where I want to be.

          “You want to play in high-pressure games. It’s scary at times but that’s the goal. We’re taking it all in, it’s really exciting. The pressure’s on but that’s what we play for. We had a slip-up it in the last camp [against Slovakia] but we have to learn from that.

          “We can’t slip up against Ireland because they’re a very good side, but we prepare for each game to go out and win and we have performed well against good sides. We have more depth than what we had before with more players playing professional football. We have to use our home advantage, but also take our opportunities in both games.”

        80. Preparation

          The Cymru squad were back on the training ground earlier today in preparation for the huge UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Play-Off Final match against the Republic of Ireland on Friday night.

          Over 14,000 tickets have been sold for the 1st leg match at the Cardiff City Stadium, while Ireland have already sold over 20,000 tickets for the decisive return match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin next Tuesday.

          A great atmosphere is expected for both matches with the two nations looking to make women’s football history for their respective countries and qualify for the EURO finals for the first time.

        82. Last meeting

          Goals from Jess Fishlock and Lily Woodham (below) in the opening half would prove to be the difference when Cymru and the Republic of Ireland last met back in February.

          Current Cymru assistant coach Jon Grey was in temporary charge of the side for that friendly at Tallaght Stadium following the departure of Gemma Grainger while new head coach Rhian Wilkinson watched her new team from the stands.

          Cymru went ahead when the Ireland failed to deal with a corner and Hayley Ladd’s cutback found an unmarked Fishlock, who fired home the opening goal after just seven minutes. Woodham then doubled the lead inside the 22nd minute with an assist from Elise Hughes and made now mistake with a first-time strike into the top left corner.

          “It’s a brand new challenge,” said Wilkinson last week when asked about that match. “We know that they’re beatable because of the game in February, but equally, we’ll have to be better than we were in February to beat them again.”

        85. Squad announcement

          Rhian Wilkinson has named her Cymru squad for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Play-Off Final against the Republic of Ireland and has called on the Red Wall to get behind her team in Cardiff on Friday night.

          “This is an opportunity to see some of the very greatest that will ever wear a Welsh jersey at home in a very meaningful game for their country,” explained Wilkinson as she announced her squad.

          “We need the support as playing at home with that crowd behind you can never be underestimated. It’s a massive boost for my players, but equally it’s the right thing to come out and see this group of players live because it’s a special, special team.”

          Watch the full squad announcement press conference on RedWall+ here

        86. There is no live report available for this match

        Lineups

        Starting

          Substitutes

            Starting

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                Table

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                Match Info

                Stadium

                Date & Time

                Referee

                Fourth Official

                Assistant Referees

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