Denise O'Sullivan: 'The goal is to get to the Euros'

Republic of Ireland playmaker Denise O'Sullivan is ready to roll into a huge Euro 2025 play-off final against familiar foes Wales next month with the ambition crystal clear: qualify for a first ever Women's European Championships.

Ireland had a straightforward passage to the final as they overcame minnows Georgia 9-0 on aggregate.

A battle against the Welsh will be an altogether different prospect, albeit Rhian Wilkinson's team needed extra-time to edge past Slovakia in the other semi-final.

It sets up an international derby that will be ferociously close.

Wales deservedly beat the Girls in Green last February in a friendly at Tallaght Stadium; but O'Sullivan missed that game, which Eileen Gleeson used to field an experimental lineup, and there's a quiet confidence in the Ireland camp that they are in much better shape now.

"I think it was just an off night for us, absolutely," said O'Sullivan.

"The girls learned a lot from that game and we definitely improved from it so we can definitely move on from it, put that in the past, put that behind us, and just focus on this next game. They're a great team, we’ve played them many a time, we know their strengths.

"As I said, we’ll focus on us and see what we can do best."

Gleeson has managed to increase the depth of competition in the squad, with a few fringe players making good cases for themselves in the two games against Georgia.

Abbie Larkin was really bright in both legs, while Jessie Stapleton offered more evidence of her versatility and Marissa Sheva returned from a year-long exile to offer a reminder of the posiitve energy she brings to the table.

Ellen Molloy also returned following a two-year absence to further enrich a competitive panel.

"I think they've stepped up big time... especially Abbie Larkin the other night," said O'Sullivan.

"I thought she was absolutely fantastic, she created a lot for us. Jessie coming in tonight, putting a stamp on it too and just stepping up for the team. Ellen coming back after a long time… it’s great to see the youngsters coming in and doing their thing, I think we’ll need that going forward, we’ll need every single person in this squad.

"We have a lot of talent. We have a mixture of leaders and a mixture of youth coming through.

"The girls are great, there's always a great vibe around the camp, the staff are absolutely fantastic with the squad. It’s a quick turnaround now to the next one - only three weeks getting back to our clubs and getting playing. We’ll come in focused again."

Ireland will travel to Cardiff for the first leg and then welcome Wales to the Aviva Stadium for what promises to be an immense occasion - effectively a cup final on home soil with a ticket to another major tournament up for grabs.

"It's hugely exciting," added O'Sullivan. "The goal is to get to the Euros, that’s our main focus. As you can see, a lot of fans came out (to Tallaght) and, going to the Aviva, hopefully we can get a big crowd here next month as well.

"These are the type of games we want to be in. They’re high-pressure games and that’s where we’ll have to step up and do our best for the shirt. I’m looking forward to it, the girls are looking forward to it and, as I said, we got the job done in this window.

"We’ll move on, we’ll review this game and see what we can do better."