O'Gorman hails 'colossal' World Cup qualification

October 2020 was a difficult time for everyone, as the country moved in and out of lockdowns moved up and down through differing levels of restrictions.

Travelling to different parts of the country was limited and people were gearing up towards a difficult Christmas period.

Meanwhile the Republic of Ireland were aiming to qualify for their first major tournament, the European Championships, which were destined to take place over the Irish Sea in England.

Ireland were in Kyiv and all they needed to do was to avoid defeat and they would march on to the play-offs.

A horror back-pass from Áine O'Gorman evaded the stand-in goalkeeper on that day Courtney Brosnan.

Brosnan who was deputising for the injured Marie Hourihan, watched on helplessly as the ball trickled in to the far corner. Devastation.

Fast forward two years and Vera Pauw's side have gone one better and exorcised those ghosts, they have qualified for the World Cup.

O'Gorman played right-back that day in Kyiv, but last night played slightly further forward. Brosnan saved a penalty from Caroline Weir in a player-of-the-match performance. Redemption.

"Courtney has been brilliant, so commanding in the box from start to finish," said O'Gorman.

"She took the pressure off even when we were under pressure towards that the end of the game."

Now the centurion cap-holder O'Gorman will turn to her focus into being on the plane for Australia and New Zealand next summer. The feeling hasn't quite sunk in yet.

"I think it's hard to put into words, we just keep turning around and saying to each other 'we're going to a World Cup! Oh my god!'

"We believed we could do it, we believed the country was behind us, but it's still hard to believe that we're actually going to a World Cup. It hasn't