'There were cries of ‘no’ from the Polish when they thought it was them out in our group'
It fell to Denise O’Sullivan for the rallying cry to convey transatlantic following Ireland’s most daunting of tests.
Not even their World Cup finals field competes with this for a European Championship qualifying group – France, England and Sweden.
That’s the third, fourth and fifth-ranked teams on the planet, only bettered by World champions Spain and their predecessors USA.
Avoiding Spain was the sole solace from the draw in Nyon.
That the alternative top seed they were pitted, France, are backboned by a Lyon side who reached six of the last eight Champions League finals signifies their strength too.
Only an underwhelming Nations League campaign demoted England, Euro holders and runners-up to the Spanish in last year’s World Cup final, into the second rung while Sweden are considered as forceful, if not superior, to the team that missed out on Olympic gold three years ago on penalties.
“We wanted to be here, now we are,” Cork native and Ireland playmaker Denise O’Sullivan said on X as dawn broke in her adopted home of North Carolina.
“Let’s have it.”
They got there by storming through last Autumn’s Nations League B with a peerless record of six wins, clinching promotion with the added bonus of a playoff route to the 2025 finals through the backdoor.
Eileen Gleeson, speaking shortly after the draw on site, offered an unexpected declaration of intent to reach Switzerland directly – as one of the top two finishers – but her side, trailing behind in 24th spot of the rankings, have an uphill task to usurp one, never mind, two of the heavyweights for that feat.
If they are funnelled into the playoff route, two-legged ties against a team from League C and then League B will be obscuring their path.
“In terms of the
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