Kyra Carusa convinced the best is yet to come for Ireland

Kyra Carusa felt the Republic of Ireland failed to make their dominance count against Wales but insisted they would be contenders again despite missing out on Euro 2025.

Ireland lost 2-1 at home to Wales for a 3-2 aggregate defeat, all three goals coming in the second half after a scoreless opening 45 minutes when Eileen Gleeson's side had looked on top.

First, VAR alerted referee Marta Huerta De Aza that the ball had struck Anna Patten's arm, then Welsh sub Carrie Jones punished on the counter, before Patten's 86th-minute equaliser set up a frantic finish.

"Football is so fickle. You can go back and forth about who deserves to win and who doesn't. The scoreline is the scoreline at the end of the day. I think it's hard to say, but I'd the feeling was that we had a massive hold on this game.

"That first half, the way we were on the ball, our opportunities were there. You hit the post [through Denise O'Sullivan], you get quite a bit of corners. You're feeling like the goal is coming, but ultimately I think that hurts you and you can't wait forever, you have to make sure that the goal does come.

"You never want to give up a penalty at any point in the game. But, to be given in the first 60 seconds of the half, I mean, that's killer for any momentum for any team.

"I think though, still, from the first half, the sentiment was that there was plenty of time and this game was very much in our control. But of course, that puts you on the back foot a bit and it puts you in a difficult position.

"VAR is VAR and it's something we live with in today's game. For them to have a ball over the top [Wales' second goal] and it end the way it ends, like that's football for you."

'Football is fickle. The scoreline is the scoreline at the end of the day'

Kyra Carusa insists that the momentum behind the women's game in Ireland needs to be maintained despite missing out on the Euros pic.twitter.com/F4gIlAXmnL

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 3, 2024

In the aftermath, Carusa's team-mate Ruesha Littlejohn made a plea for Ireland to change their style from the grassroots up, but the San Diego Wave striker doesn't believe that the failure to build on World Cup 2023 qualification will have a long-term effect.

"You can look at it that way and think 'the momentum stops here', but I still think back to when we were playing in Kiev when we were playing Ukraine [losing a Euro 2022 qualifier] and you would have thought the same thing at the time, like 'Oh, this could really stop this team from being able to do massive things or move forward. And, the best was yet to come.

"I feel the same sentiment with us here right now. I feel with this game, it's the best is yet to come. It doesn't stop this powerful message and what this team is doing. What we will continue to do. That is inevitable. And for us to be back in a position like this is inevitable.

"It’s hard to take in this moment, but we continue to move forward."