Australia have overcome the pre-match loss of superstar captain Sam Kerr to defeat a spirited Ireland side in their opening match of the Women's World Cup.
In front of a record crowd at Stadium Australia, stand-in captain Steph Catley scored the only goal of the match will a well-taken penalty in the 52nd minute.
The Irish team had a flurry of chances late but the Matildas managed to hold them off and secure a narrow win.
The first half contained few chances, with Ireland happy to sit back and let the Matildas have the ball, who were struggling to execute in the final third without their talismanic attacker in Kerr.
Catley's goal opened up the match though, as both teams continued to stream forward, with Ireland looking to get back into the match and Australia pressing to seal it.
Ireland tested Matildas keeper Mackenzie Arnold with a series of dangerous corners and went close with a free kick and effort from the centre of the box late on, but the Matildas ultimately held on for a crucial clean sheet and gained the all-important three points.
MORE: Women's World Cup: Matildas player ratings
Why didn't Sam Kerr play?
Australia's hopes of a smooth opening game were dashed a little over an hour before kick-off, when superstar and captain Sam Kerr was ruled out of the Matildas' opening two World Cup matches with a calf injury.
She reportedly picked up the injury yesterday in training, and it was a huge cause for concern for Matildas players, staff and fans.
Whilst Australia navigated a stern test against Ireland, it puts more pressure on an attacking unit light on fit players.
Midfield pairing pays off
After much experimentation early in his tenure, Tony Gustavsson has settled on a midfield pairing of Katrina Gorry and Kyra Cooney-Cross, and it is paying off with the pair complementing each other excellently.
Cooney-Cross is technically one of Australia's best midfielders, with brilliant passing range and marvellous dribbling and ball control.
Gorry on the other hand is a workhorse, chasing the ball all over the pitch, putting in hard tackles and being a menace to opposition midfielders.
Gorry was arguably the player of the match, and the combination of her and Cooney-Cross could lead Australia to great success.
Golden night for the golden girls
A win in the opening match of their home World Cup in front of a record crowd for women's football - it was a truly golden night for Australia
Sure, it wasn't the prettiest of wins, but the co-hosts got the job done.
Millions were watching at home and in pubs, bars and live sites around the country, showing the whole nation is behind their golden girls.
Whilst the journey is only just beginning, Gustavsson and his players should take a moment to bask in the joy of such a wonderful moment for the team, but also for Australian football as a whole.
Australia vs Republic of Ireland score
| 1H | 2H | Final | Goal scorers | |
| Australia | 0 | 1 | 1 | Catley 52' |
| Republic of Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Starting lineups:
Australia starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): Arnold (GK) — Carpenter, Kennedy, Hunt, Catley — Raso, Gorry, Cooney-Cross, Vine (sub: van Egmond 74') — Fowler (sub: Polkinghorne 84'), Foord.
Republic of Ireland starting lineup (5-4-1, right to left): Brosnan (GK) — Payne, Fahey, Quinn, Connolly, McCabe — Farrelly (Larkin 63'), O'Sullivan, Littlejohn, Sheva (Quinn 63') — Carusa
MORE: Who will be Australia's breakout World Cup star?
Australia vs Republic of Ireland live updates, highlights from 2023 World Cup
FULL TIME: A spirited Ireland threw everything at Australia, but the co-hosts have held on and manage to win their opening match of the tournament thanks to Steph Catley's penalty.
90+6th minute: Ireland almost equalise! Australia get into a mess at the back giving the Irish a golden opportunity, but Arnold is alert and saves it crucially.
90th minute: Six minutes of added time, can Australia hold on?
87th minute: Another change for Ireland, Atkinson replaces Carusa.
84th minute: The Matildas make a defensive change, with Clare Polkinghorne replacing Mary Fowler.
82nd minute: The Matildas counter through Foord - she releases a pass to the onrushing Gorry, but her shot is crucially blocked.
78th minute: It's a new record crowd for a women's football match, with 75,784 fans attending this gripping clash. Brilliant to see!
74th minute: Australia make their first change of the night, with Corntee Vine being replaced by Emily van Egmond.
71st minute: Nervous moment for Australia as a McCabe corner loops dangerously towards goal, but Mackenzie Arnold does brilliantly under pressure to punch the ball away from danger.
68th minute: Foord has a really good chance as she flicks on Gorry's corner, but it goes wide and Raso is unable to meet it at the back stick.
67th minute: Gorry wins the ball in midfield and breaks forward with purpose, but her shot is well blocked by the retreating Irish defence.
63rd minute: Ireland look to turn the tide of the game with a double change - Abbie Larkin and Lucy Quinn enter the field for Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva.
61st minute: A loose ball falls to Gorry on the edge of the area, but her effort is wild and nowhere near the goal.
52nd minute: CATELY CONVERTS FROM THE SPOT!!!! Cool calm and collected from the stand-in skipper, the roof comes off Stadium Australia as the Matildas take the lead!
WATCH IN THE USA:
WATCH IN AUSTRALIA:
51st minute: PENALTY TO AUSTRALIA! Cooney-Cross puts a ball in the box, Sheva shoves Raso to the ground and the referee points to the spot.
46th minute: The action resumes at Stadium Australia, which defence will crack first?
HALF TIME: Nothing to split the sides at the break, with the scores locked at 0-0. The co-hosts have looked threatening at times, but are struggling to choose the right pass at the crucial moment.
45+5th minute: Gorry has a shot from way out, but it bounces comfortably in the arms of Brosnan.
45th minute: There will be six minutes of added time.
42nd minute: Denise O'Sullivan is the first player to go into the book, given a yellow card for a foul in the middle of the park.
38th minute: Ireland fans can breathe a sigh of relief - McCabe is back on her feet and ready to re-enter the field of play.
36th minute: Australia work their way down the left, giving Foord a shot on goal, but she mis-hits it and it goes into the side netting. In concerning news for Ireland, captain Katie McCabe is down injured and receiving treatment.
28th minute: Huge chance for Hayley Raso! Steph Catley's corner finds the winger near the back post, but her strong header is just wide of the target.
25th minute: A record-breaking crowd at Stadium Australia, what a sight!
17th minute: First real chance of the game as the Matildas float in a corner which finds Clare Hunt at the back post, but she can't control the header.
11th minute: Neither side giving an inch in a hard-fought opening period to this match. Australia are trying to utilise the lung-busting runs of Ellie Carpenter, an area of concern for the Irish.
5th minute: Australia are clearly targeting the right flank of Ireland's defence, trying a couple of long balls already to utilise the pace of Cortnee Vine.
KICK OFF: The action begins at Stadium Australia with the co-hosts Australia kicking us off!
3 minutes to kick off: The teams are out, and two brilliant renditions of the national anthems from players and fans. It's an electric atmosphere here in Sydney!
10 minutes to kick off: The teams are in the tunnel, moments away from entering the cauldron that is Stadium Australia.
15 minutes to kick off: Like much of Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is getting behind the golden girls!
20 minutes to kick off: The lights have gone out and an opening ceremony of sorts seems to be close to beginning.
30 minutes to kick off: The stands are slowly filling at Stadium Australia, with a strong contingent of Ireland fans, but they are well and truly surrounded by a sea of gold! The injury news for Sam Kerr has done little to dampen spirits in Sydney.
40 minutes to kick off: Want to read more about the massive injury to Sam Kerr? We have a wrap of it in this article here.
1hr to kick off: The opening match of the tournament has just finished, and there's been a huge upset as co-hosts New Zealand have won their first-ever World Cup match against highly fancied Norway. A Hannah Wilkinson goal was enough to secure a famous victory for the Football Ferns; read our live blog and reaction here.
1hr 10 minutes to kick off: The team news is in and there is a huge out for Australia as captain and arguably the best player in the world Sam Kerr has been ruled out of the next two matches due to a calf injury picked up in training.
It is the only change from the side's match against France, with the goalscorer in that match - Mary Fowler - taking Kerr's place.
Australia starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): Arnold (GK) — Carpenter, Kennedy, Hunt, Catley — Raso, Gorry, Cooney-Cross, Vine — Fowler, Foord.
For Ireland, key midfielders Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan have shaken off injury concerns to start for the girls in green. Kyra Carusa and Heather Payne start up front for the Irish.
Republic of Ireland starting lineup (5-4-1, right to left): Brosnan (GK) — Payne, Fahey, Quinn, connolly, McCabe — Farrelly, O'Sullivan, Littlejohn, Sheva — Carusa
2hrs from kick off: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of this hugely exciting World Cup match between Australia and the Republic of Ireland! In two hours' time, the stadium will be a sea of green and gold hoping to cheer on their golden girls to a first-up victory as hosts of the World Cup. Ireland will be hoping to spoil the party and create a unique story of their own by winning in their first-ever match at a World Cup.
Australia vs. Republic of Ireland lineups, team news
Australia were struck by a monumental blow before kick-off, with star player Sam Kerr being ruled out of the next two matches with a calf injury.
Australia projected starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): Arnold (GK) — Carpenter, Polkinghorne, Hunt, Catley — Raso, Gorry, Cooney-Cross, Fowler — Kerr, Foord.
Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan have shook off late injury concerns to start in their country's first-ever World Cup match.
Republic of Ireland projected starting lineup (4-4-2, right to left): Brosnan (GK) — O'Gorman, Fahey, Quinn, Scott — Littlejohn, McCabe, O'Sullivan, Farrelly— Sheva, Carusa.
What time is Australia vs. Republic of Ireland?
Australia's opening match at the Women's World Cup begins at 8:00 p.m. local time at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The game takes place just three hours after the opening match of the tournament, which will see co-hosts New Zealand go up against Norway in Auckland.
| Timezone | Time |
|---|---|
| Australia (AEST) | 8:00 p.m. |
| New Zealand (NZT) | 10:00 p.m. |
| USA (ET) | 6:00 a.m. |
| UK (BST) | 11:00 a.m. |
| Singapore (SGT) | 6:00 p.m. |
| Malaysia (MYT) | 6:00 p.m. |
| Hong Kong (HKT) | 6:00 p.m. |
| India (IST) | 3:30 p.m. |
Australia vs. Republic of Ireland live stream, TV channel
With Australia being one of the strongest teams at the tournament, many neutrals will be keen to watch their opening clash of the World Cup to see if they can continue their strong form on the biggest stage of all.
The match will also be shown on free-to-air television in Australia, with millions expected to tune into one of the biggest matches in Australian football history.
| Country | Television | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Optus Sport, Channel 7 | Optus Sport website/app, 7Plus |
| New Zealand | Sky Sports 1, Prime TV | Sky Sport NOW, Stuff World Cup website |
| USA | FOXm NBC Universo (Spanish) | Fubo, Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Peacock |
| Canada | TSN, RDS (French) | TSN+, TSN site/app, RDS site/app |
| UK | ITV | ITVX |
| Singapore | Singtel | Singtel TV GO, MeWatch |
| Hong Kong | NOW Sports Prime | NOW Sports Prime |
| Malaysia | — | FIFA Plus |
| India | — | — |