Zut alors. But come here, do you remember when the draw for this World Cup qualifying group was made back in November, when those of little or no faith reckoned that Ireland would end up slugging it out with Poland to avoid finishing bottom, while France and the Netherlands would disappear over the horizon? The eejits. And here was Carla Ward’s posse heading for Grenoble for the final group game with a chance of finishing top of the table. Mon Dieu.“Ain’t no mountain high enough,” said Marie Crowe as she welcomed us to RTÉ’s coverage of a game staged in a stadium with the rather majestic backdrop of the Alps.Marie had Louise Quinn and Karen Duggan for company, both of them pinching themselves over the notion that Ireland were a mere win away from direct qualification for the World Cup, without having to trouble themselves with that convoluted playoff business. And no one was more convinced that it was all very possible than Ward, a woman so bullishly buoyant she could persuade you that you were a cert to win the Lotto at some point or another. Which was the gist of her mood when she chatted with Shane Dawson prematch.Forecasts? “Ireland,” said Louise and Karen, although you sensed that was their hearts rather than their heads doing the talking, France being the planet’s seventh-ranked nation. But look, sometimes there’s no harm in letting your heart overrule your head.Anthems. Amhrán na bhFiann was tremendous, the scattering of Irish fans in the stadium bellowing it out so hard they’ll be chewing Strepsils for a month. But is there anything in world sport more sublime (or petrifying) than that moment the backing track for La Marseillaise fades away and the crowd take over? It’s almost like they’re singing “we will eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti and we’ll be three up after 10 minutes”.They weren’t, mercifully, although our Emily Murphy came perilously close to scoring an own goal from her own half, which wouldn’t have been a good thing. But after the swagger of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, this was more a traditional hanging-on-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth kind of performance, the French toying with our crew a touch.The French are a funny bunch. Remember when Spain’s lads were always called the great underachievers of world football, until they started achieving things? Well, the French femmes are a bit like that, without achieving a whole lot yet. A smattering of World Cup quarter-finals and a European semi-final is all they have to show for their splendiferous talent, and all they managed to take off the Dutch in this group was a single point when our bunch took a whole three. But they started this game as they meant to go on. Dominantly. Our commentator Cathal Mullaney is perfect for these occasions, his calming voice persuading you to come out from behind the cushion and actually watch the contest. Rianna Jarrett, his comrade in the commentary box, was a little more edgy, although after that French goal on 40 minutes, she did her very best to put hope in our hearts again. “One thing we know about this Irish team, they’re never done.”🇫🇷 1-0 🇮🇪France take a deserved lead and it's that woman Melvine Malard with an acrobatic finishWatch live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player or listen live on RTÉ Radio 1 pic.twitter.com/OS3sDhZe35— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 9, 2026