Caitlin Hayes: Aviva occasion 'shows where this team belongs'

Republic of Ireland defender Caitlin Hayes said the team's display against England in front of a 32,742 crowd at the Aviva Stadium shows that they belong on stages of that stature.

The Girls in Green tasted defeat to elite opposition for the second time in the space of four days but unlike against France in Metz last Friday, Hayes felt they had their English opponents "rattled" on Tuesday during a lively second half that yielded more opportunities in the final third.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue after the 2-0 defeat in the Euro 2025 qualifier, versatile Celtic defender Hayes believes the chance to perform at the highest level has been earned.

"It shows how far this team's come but it shows where this team belongs," she said.

"It deserves to be in these stadiums, under these lights, with all these fans. (It's) something this team has earned, it's warranted and it's players that were playing for this team beforehand that have done the hard graft to get it where it is today and it's a credit to the country that they keep pushing it and pushing it and who knows where it can go."

She added that the second-half performance could provide a platform to build on for the future, with a double-header against Sweden to come on 31 May and 4 June respectively.

"I think you saw a great display of heart, display of passion I think," Hayes said.

"We were just on the money second half and had one of the best teams in the world rattled. That's a credit to the girls, and believing themselves and backing each other and pushing up the pitch. And it was a great second half.

"It was a great second half against France as well so just need to improve on the little things in the first half. We can't do too much about the penalties but in terms