The Republic of Ireland WNT grabbed a fantastic 1-all draw away to favourites Sweden in Gothenburg this evening, nearly deifying all the FIFA world ranking odds for the win.

A first half strike from Katie McCabe stood lone until the 79th minute when Kosovare Asllani broke thorough the defence and keeper Courtney Brosnan for the equaliser, leaving a nervy 10 minutes to the conclusion.

A share of the spoils for Ireland on this occasion in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers and Vera Pauw’s 20th match in charge, it’s one they won’t be forgetting in a hurry.

Shining names in lights such as Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius and Chelsea’s Magdelena Eriksson sprinkled throughout their squad, Sweden were dominant from the word go in-front of a bumper crowd.

They along with Jonna Andersson and Asllani kept Brosnan busy throughout the first half, but it was The Girls In Green to score first in the 43rd minute. The ball fell to Katie McCabe who converted to take the lead, marking just the second goal their opposition had conceded in the entirety of Group A.

Sweden pressed forward progressively after the pause as they did in the opening half, rolling in the substitutions to try and cause the Irish lineup more headaches. They often targeted Shelbourne’s Chloe Mustaki, who was picked up just her second international cap today and her first official start.

The hosts peppered the Irish goal throughout the remainder of the encounter and despite their attempts to sustain the pressure Asllani clipped a goal towards the end.

In the last of the three minutes added time Sweden earned a menacing freekick, although when it went dead it signalled the end of the match and a sigh of relief from Ireland and their supporters.

Sweden have now qualified for the World Cup and sit without much pressure at the top of the group’s table, although tonight’s result will go a long way in Ireland’s battle to get on the plane against main rivals Finland.

They have three more games to secure the second spot which would see them into the playoffs.