
Republic of Ireland 3 - 0 Northern Ireland

Lucy Quinn got things started with a fine first-half strike before Kyra Carusa and Lily Agg added goals to bump the scoreline and raise the atmosphere in the Dublin venue.
Interim Head Coach Eileen Gleeson wanted to give the players a freedom to express themselves in an attack-minded line-up and they did just that with some notable bright spells of play.
Debutant Caitlin Hayes looked assured on her debut, Sky Ireland Player of the Match Tyler Toland was composed in midfield and the home team generally controlled the tempo and possession of the ball in key periods.
Quinn will go down as the first women's player to score for Ireland in this redeveloped national stadium and she can be proud of the goal too with a sweet finish from the edge of the penalty area.
Carusa looked dangerous all game and a break forward to chase down a long ball put fear into the visitors' defence and that led to the ball falling to the San Diego Wave forward to fire in from distance.
Substitute Agg finished it all up with a tidy close-range finish as Ireland applied pressure in the late stages of the game and gave the excited crowd something to cheer about.
Next up is a trip to Budapest to take on Hungary as Ireland keep their sights set on finishing top of Group B1 and making the most of this campaign.
Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Caitlin Hayes, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell (Izzy Atkinson 89); Heather Payne (Abbie Larkin 59), Megan Connolly (Lily Agg 82), Tyler Toland, Denise O’Sullivan, Katie McCabe; Lucy Quinn (Amber Barrett 83), Kyra Carusa (Emily Whelan 89).
Northern Ireland: Shannon Turner; Joley Magee, Sarah McFadden, Rebecca Holloway (Laura Rafferty 82), Demi Vance; Caragh Hamilton (Nadene Caldwell 72), Rachel Furness (Chloe McCarron 82), Marissa Callaghan (Lauren Wade 72), Emily Wilson; Simone Magill, Joely Andrews.
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria).
The UEFA Nations League opener against Northern Ireland kicks off at 13:00, with the Ireland squad having to go straight to the airport afterwards to fly to Hungary for their second game in Group B1.
MATCH DETAILS
UEFA Nations League
Republic of Ireland v Northern Ireland
Saturday, September 23
Aviva Stadium
KO 13:00
LIVE on RTÉ2
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee | Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria)
Assistant Referee 1 | Ekaterina Marinova Petkova (Bulgaria)
Assistant Referee 2 | Pavleta Rashkova (Bulgaria)
Fourth Official | Kristina Georgieva (Bulgaria)
TEAM NEWS
Ireland have a fully fit squad to choose from.
QUOTES
Eileen Gleeson (Interim Head Coach)
“It is a privilege for this group of players and staff to be involved in what will be a historic occasion of playing in the Aviva Stadium for the first time as a Women’s National Team and having what will be a record crowd cheering the team on.
"We understand how important this game is. Preparations are going well. We have a fully fit squad to choose from, which is a credit to players and all staff.
"We expect a tough challenge from Northern Ireland, a team with major tournament experience, and of course a new Head coach in place who brings a wealth of experience and expertise, so we won't be taking anything for granted."
Ireland WNT Squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Megan Walsh (West Ham United)
Defenders: Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Claire O’Riordan (Standard Liege), Savannah McCarthy (Shamrock Rovers), Éabha O’Mahony (University of Texas), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Marissa Sheva (Washington Spirit), Izzy Atkinson (West Ham United)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Glasgow City), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Saoirse Noonan (Durham WFC), Emily Whelan (Glasgow City)
IRELAND WNT PLAYER STATS
Goalkeepers
Courtney Brosnan | DOB 10/11/1995 | 26 caps / 11 clean sheets | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020
Grace Moloney | DOB 01/03/1993 | 6 caps / 1 clean sheet | Debut vs Austria 02/03/2016
Megan Walsh | DOB 12/11/1994 | 1 cap / 0 clean sheets | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022
Defenders
Louise Quinn | DOB 17/06/1990 | 108 caps / 15 goals | Debut vs Poland 02/02/2008
Diane Caldwell | DOB 11/09/1988 | 97 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs Denmark 15/03/2006
Claire O'Riordan | DOB 12/10/1994 | 19 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Hungary 07/03/2016
Chloe Mustaki | DOB 29/07/1995 | 6 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022
Savannah McCarthy | DOB 26/03/1997 | 11 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Austria 02/03/2016
Hayley Nolan | DOB 07/03/1997 | 3 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Belgium 16/04/2021
Éabha O’Mahony | DOB 17/06/2002 | 4 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs USA 04/08/2019
Caitlin Hayes | DOB 22/09/1995 | 0 caps / 0 goals
Midfielders
Katie McCabe | DOB 21/09/1995 | 76 caps / 21 goals | Debut vs Hungary 04/03/2015
Denise O’Sullivan | DOB | 105 caps / 18 goals | Debut vs Wales 17/09/2011
Megan Connolly | DOB 07/03/1997 | 45 caps / 4 goals | Debut vs USA 23/02/2016
Lucy Quinn | DOB 29/09/1993 | 16 caps / 3 goals | Debut vs Australia 21/09/2021
Lily Agg | DOB 17/12/1993 | 10 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Philippines 19/06/2022
Jamie Finn | DOB 21/04/1998 | 15 caps / 0 goal | Debut vs Greece 12/11/2019
Tyler Toland | DOB 08/08/2001 | 13 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Northern Ireland 19/09/2017
Heather Payne | DOB 26/01/2000 | 37 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Scotland 07/07/2017
Marissa Sheva | DOB 22/04/1997 | 7 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs China PR 22/02/2023
Izzy Atkinson | DOB 17/07/2001 | 8 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Portugal 21/01/2018
Forwards
Kyra Carusa | DOB 14/11/1995 | 15 caps / 2 goals | Debut vs Montenegro 11/03/2020
Abbie Larkin | DOB 27/04/2005 | 11 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Russia 19/02/2022
Amber Barrett | DOB 16/01/1996 | 37 caps / 7 goals | Debut vs Wales 20/08/2016
Saoirse Noonan | DOB 13/07/1999 | 4 caps / 1 goal | Debut vs Wales 21/08/2016
Emily Whelan | DOB 22/08/2002 | 7 caps / 0 goals | Debut vs Poland 09/10/2018