Katie McCabe: Ireland captain describes 'heartbreak' after early World Cup exit
Katie McCabe scored Ireland's first goal at a major international tournament, but was unable to inspire her nation to victory; Ireland lost to Australia in their first outing, and a second loss to Canada has ensured their World Cup elimination; McCabe described the exit as «heartbreaking»
By Laura Hunter
Wednesday 26 July 2023 20:26, UK
Katie McCabe scored directly from a corner kick against Olympic champions Canada at the Women's World Cup on Wednesday, but it wasn't enough to secure the points Ireland needed to stay in the tournament running.
Canada recovered to seal a 2-1 comeback win at Perth's Rectangular Stadium, leaving Ireland with no chance of progression from Group B.
McCabe described the «heartbreak» she felt at Ireland's exit, with one group game remaining, but also vowed to learn from the experience, describing her pride at captaining the Girls in Green at their first major tournament.
«It's bittersweet to score,» the Arsenal all-rounder reflected. «But it's the result that matters at tournaments. I'm heartbroken for the girls because I think we deserved more.»
Ireland entered the Canada game off the back of a 1-0 loss to co-hosts Australia last week, and have now been eliminated before getting the chance to play Nigeria on Monday.
«We took a lot of confidence from that second half against Australia,» McCabe continued. «We decided to be braver going forwards and back ourselves a bit more.
»We wanted to start the game with a lot of energy and get in Canada's faces as much as possible, pile on the pressure, and I thought we did that.
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