Record Crowd Watches Ireland’s Promising First Half Against Formidable France

Ireland’s starting striker Kyra Carusa, born in America to Irish parents, caused problems for France’s defense in the first 30 minutes of the match before the Irish defense fell apart.
Carusa’s performance showed her potential to lead Ireland’s attack in the World Cup, though Ireland ultimately lost to the 2019 World Cup semi-finalists and defending European champions.
The match served as Ireland’s final warmup before the World Cup and drew a record 7,633 fans, including the President of Ireland.
France went through recent turmoil, with their captain quitting the team and federation president resigning, but still proved too strong for Ireland.
Ireland manager Vera Pauw aims to lead the team to their first World Cup but faced distractions from a dispute with The Athletic in the buildup.