“Live Updates: Canada Triumphs 2-1 Over Republic of Ireland in Women’s World Cup 2023” –

Match report: Canada 2-1 Republic of Ireland

Vera Pauw speaks …

Katie McCabe speaks …

Ireland are out. This match couldn’t have got off to a better start for the Irish, who went ahead when Katie McCabe scored directly from a corner in the opening minutes. Canada looked uncharacteristically subdue in the first half, but levelled proceedings with a fairly lucky equaliser that Ireland had no business conceding.

We saw a different Canada side after the break, with their head coach Bev Priestman ringing the changes and introducing Christine Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt and Shelina Zadorsky, who immediately exerted their influence. With Canada dominant, Adrianna Leon scored when Ireland failed to clear a through ball in behind their defence.

Full time: Canada 2-1 Rep of Ireland

90+6 min: Canada dawdle over another throw-in … and who can blame them? Sophie Schmidt takes an eternity to dry the ball and eventually chuck it back into play.

90+5 min: Izzy Atkinson tries to play the ball in behind the Canada defence but it’s intercepted and cleared by Vanessa Gilles. Katie McCabe sends a poor cross into the penalty area and Gilles sends it upfield again.

90+4 min: Canada substitute: Allysha Chapman on, Riviere off.

90+2 min: Ashley Lawrence dawdles over a Canada throw-in in an attempt to waste time, incurring the wrath of the large Irish contingent in the stands. The booing intensifies when Jayde Riviere goes down with cramp and requires treatment. Oh, Canada!

90+1min: Marissa Sheva sends the ball into the Canada box from the right but her cross is far too close to Sheridan. We’ll have a minimum of four more minutes of added time.

89 min: Vera Pauw tells her players to launch the ball towards the Canada goal. From a throw-in, Lily Agg receives the ball advances and tries a shot from distance. It’s straight at Kailen Sheridan, who saves comfortably.

87 min: It’s kitchen sink time for Ireland but they can’t get the ball from their Canadian counterparts. Jordyn Haitema shoots goalwards but her shot takes a nick off Niamh Fahey and goes out for a corner.

Haitema gets on the end of an inswinger that comes her way off the head of a teammate but sends her effort straight into the gloves of Courtney Brosnan.

85 min: Bev Priestman encourages her Canadian team from the touchline as they attack down the inside left. Ireland clear their lines.

82 min: Katie McCabe advances on the Canada penalty area through the centre and with options to her left and right, elects to shoot. Her effort sails over the bar and it seems Ireland’s standout player by a country mile might be trying to rescue this game on her own.

81 min: Into the final 10 minutes we go, with Ireland manager Vera Pauw standing on the touchline, pondering at what point her players should unplumb and disconnect the kitchen sink and start throwing it Canada’s way.

79 min: Katie McCabe dribbles to the byline, cuts back inside and creates an angle from which to shoot towards the Canadian goal. Her low effort is deflected out for a corner.

77 min: Cloe Lacasse scampers down the right wing and sends a cross into the Ireland penalty area. Ireland clear, the ball finds its way back to Lacasse and this time she tries to scurry into the penalty area with the ball at her feet. Again, she is repelled. Ireland remain on the ropes.

75 min: Canada midfielder Jordan Huitema receives treatment for an injury, prompting the players of both teams to adjourn to the touchline for liquid refreshments and some tactical advice from their coaches.

74 min: Atkinson and O’Sullivan combine down the left touchline for Ireland but the attempted cross into the Canada penalty area is blocked.

71 min: Izzy Atkinson sends a cross into the Canada penalty area but it’s a poor one that’s cleared at the near post.

70 min: Ireland try to get a foothold in this second half, which has been controlled by a Canadian team that are unrecognisable from the rabble that played so poorly in the first. Their head coach Bev Priestman deserves immense credit for her changes in personnel, which have completely turned this game around.

67 min: Looking to score in her sixth consecutive World Cup, Christine Sinclair squanders a great opportunity when a cross from the left drops her way. Unmarked and about seven yards out, she fails to get any power behind her volley and sends a feeble effort straight at Ireland goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan.

65 min: Ireland triple-substitution: Lily Agg, Isibeal Atkinson and Amber Barrett on for Carusa, Littlejohn and Farrelly.

63 min: Carusa gets on the end of a cross from the left but it’s a mite too high and she can’t keep the ball down. It’ll be her last act of the game.

63 min: Ireland are readying another clatter of substitutes as their World Cup dream threatens to die in this second half.

61 min: Canada defender Vanessa Gilles thinks the throw-in should be hers and hurls the ball away in a fit of pique when the ref says otherwise. She gets a yellow card for her petulance.

60 min: Canadas free-kick. It’s floated into the penalty area from the left, Ireland half-clear and Quinn receycles for Canada. Ireland clear again and win a throw-in.

57 min: Ireland substitution: Marissa Sheva on for Aine O’Gorman. Canada substitution: Cloe Lacasse on for the goalscorer, Adriana Leon.

55 min: For Canada, Quinn plays the ball forward towards the edge of the Irish box. The Girls in Green are unable to clear properly and Leon tries a shot. It bounces narrowly wide of the far post. Ireland are seriously under the cosh in this second half and as things stand, will be playingh for nothing more than pride in their final group game against Nigeria.

GOAL! Canada 2-1 Rep of Ireland (Leon 54)

51 min: It’s an ominously improved performance from Canada in the early stages of this second half but truth be told, they could scarcely play any worse than they did in the opening 45 minutes.

49 min: Great save! Ireland goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan palms the ball away as Christine Sinclair cuts inside from the left and unleashes a shot. It was heading in but Brosnan got across to keep it out.

46 min: Ireland substitution: Abbie Larkin is on for Lucy Quinn. Canada triple-substitution: Sophie Schmidt, Christine Sinclair and Shelina Zadorsky on for Julia Grosso, Evelyne Viens and Kadeisha Buchanan.

Second half: Canada 1-1 Rep of Ireland

Half-time: Canada 1-1 Rep of Ireland

47+8 min: Canada midfielder Vanessa Gilles goes close with a header but sends the ball wide.

45+7 min: Yes, yes. You’ll have noticed that when Ireland score with a cross that practically goes straight in, it’s a contender for the Puskas Award. When Canada do more or less the same thing it’s “a bit of a fluke”.

GOAL! Canada 1-1 Rep of Ireland (Conmnolly 45og)

45+3 min: The rain is torrential as Buchanan is receives treatment after shipping that thunderbolt from Farrelly in the chest. That poor woman really is having a miserable time of it this evening.

45+1 min: With the rain hammering down almost sideways in Perth, Katie McCabe sends the ball into the Canada penalty area. The ball is only half-cleared and drops for Sinead Farrelly, whose shot is blocked by Buchanan. The ball hit her hand from close range, but the hand was in front of her chest so it’s no foul.

45 min: Ireland win a throw-in deep in Canada territory, then a corner as we go into five minutes of added time.

43 min: I think Kadeisha Buchanan was a very lucky lady there. Already on a yellow card, I suspect she may have got a second one and the red that comes with it if Carusa had gone down on that occasion. I could be wrong as I haven’t had the benefit of a replay yet but I won’t be a bit surprised if Buchanan is hooked at half-time. She’s having a nightmare in the heart of Canada’s defence and simply cannot cope with Kyra Carusa.

41 min: Carusa outruns Buchanan to latch on to a long ball from deep. Buchanan looks to tug at her again just outside the penalty are but the Irish striker stays on her feet. She’s able to fashion a shot on goal from a tight angle but Sheridan saves comfortably.

39 min: There are sarcastic cheers from the Irish fans behind Courtney Brosnan’s goal as Ashley Lawrence sends a shot from outside the area arrowing towards outer space. That ball could end up in the belly of one of the bull sharks known to frequent the local Swan River.

37 min: Ireland go forward again and Denise O’Sullivan latches on to a through ball from Sinead Farrelly and tries her luck from distance. Her effort sails over the bar.

36 min: Kadeisha Buchanan gets the first yellow card of the game for a cynical tug on Kyra Carusa, who is giving the Canada defender a torrid time of it with her relentless harrying and pressing.

34 min: Quinn advances upfield for Canada but is forced to pass the ball backwards when no options present themselves.

32 min: Ireland win a free-kick just inside their own half and Aine O’Gorman gets the ball launched from deep. Canada clear at the edge of their own penalty area.