Ireland live on the ropes - they now need a killer blow

When news broke of Sam Kerr's injury an hour before kick-off, it was like someone had stopped the music and turned on the lights at a party.

Australia had exuded confidence going into their World Cup opener against the Republic of Ireland, but the loss of their captain and star striker left them rattled.

Kerr and her manager Tony Gustavsson had faced the press 24 hours previously, cracking jokes about her trademark somersault celebration and speaking of their desire to lead Australia to a home World Cup triumph. It was, Gustavsson confirmed after the Matildas' 1-0 victory, a bluff.

"Sam is a massive part of Ireland's game-plan and we didn’t want to give that away in advance," said the Swede.

Fair enough. But her omission still gave the Irish a boost right before a physical, scrappy game began and there's a nagging sense that Vera Pauw's team didn't quite grasp the opportunity that Kerr's misfortune had presented to them.

Yes they were resilient, well organised and committed, as they always are. But they didn't take enough jabs at an Australia team that had been deflated by the absence of their star forward.

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Perhaps with a bit more adventure, the Girls in Green could have poked at their opponents' vulnerabilties more emphaticially. The last ten minutes, when substitute Abbie Larkin shone and Katie McCabe was pushed forward, showed Pauw's charges had a goal in them.

The manager will understandably point to the fact her side pushed high-class opposition to the very end,