Emily Murphy started for Ireland against France in Grenoble on Tuesday night, taking her place over Larkin in a qualifier that still had direct qualification hanging in the balance. Ireland named Brosnan, Mannion, Patten, Hayes, Connolly, Mustaki, Murphy, Sheva, O’Sullivan, McCabe and Carusa in the lineup at Stade des Alpes.
The match carried immediate importance because France led the group with 10 points, Ireland had nine and the Netherlands were on eight before kickoff. Ireland could still reach the playoffs even with a 1-1 draw or a 6-0 loss in Grenoble, but France may also have needed a win because a draw could have left them vulnerable if the Netherlands overtook them on head-to-head. The Dutch were playing Poland at the same time, adding another layer to a night that could shift the top of the table before the final whistle.
France’s starting side in Grenoble included Picaud, Sombath, Samoura, Lakrar, Bacha, Geyoro, Karchaoui, Jean-Francois, Cascarino, Malard and Baltimore, and they began on the front foot. Baltimore beat Mannion on the left wing after four minutes and Geyoro then shot straight at Brosnan, while O’Sullivan escaped a yellow card at seven minutes for a high-foot foul. Brosnan later saved from Malard in the box at 10 minutes, Bacha drove a dangerous effort from outside the area at 13 minutes that Hayes blocked, and Ireland briefly steadied themselves after a free-kick at 17 minutes before a mix-up near O’Sullivan and Murphy.
The moment that will linger for Murphy came six minutes later, when she passed back to the goalkeeper and the ball rolled ominously toward Ireland’s empty net before Brosnan got there in time. It was the kind of mistake that can undo an entire night, but it also captured the strange edge of a match in which Ireland had already secured a playoff place while France still needed to manage the risk of a result that might not be enough. Whatever happened in the rest of the game, the stakes were already clear in Grenoble: Ireland were playing with security, France with something more fragile.
