Anna Patten driven by family ties and personal ambitions

The aftermath of the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifier win against France was a sensory overload, the players submerging themselves in the chaos of a raucous Páírc Uí Chaoimh.

After six defeats on the bounce, Ireland savoured a victory that sends them into the play-offs as one of the seeded countries. They will hope there’s bigger days to come as they chase qualification for the tournament in Switzerland next year.

But for the moment they’re entitled to bask in the glow of a deserved victory.

"What an atmosphere, what a game and what a result," said centre-half Anna Patten, who headed home the third goal of a 3-1 success.

"We’re all so happy. We’ve got to take those sorts of performances into the play-offs now, big games we want to win and obviously get ourselves to the Euros in Switzerland."