Ireland thrash Kazakhstan 8-0 in Astana to take control of their World Cup play-off

Ireland took a huge step towards the second round of the European play-offs for the 2027 World Cup on Friday, beating Kazakhstan 8-0 at the Astana Arena in the first leg of the opening round. They were already 5-0 up at half-time.

Carla Ward's side settled it early. Kyra Carusa opened the scoring after 7 minutes and Chloe Mustaki doubled the lead on 16. Carusa struck again before the half-hour mark, Emily Murphy added a fourth just before the break and Abbie Larkin made it five in first-half stoppage time.

A red card that left Kazakhstan with no answers

The game tilted further just after the half-hour, when home captain Yulia Myasnikova was sent off for bringing down Larkin as Ireland attacked. Down to ten, Kazakhstan could do nothing to slow a side that dominated from start to finish.

In the second half, Jamie Finn headed in her first international goal on 58 minutes, and late goals from Shanade Hopcroft, making her Ireland debut according to The Irish Times, and Jessie Stapleton completed the 8-0 win.

Mustaki stars

The standout performance came from Chloe Mustaki. As well as scoring her first Ireland goal, she filled the left wing-back role usually played by the suspended Katie McCabe and provided three assists, according to The Irish Times, which also noted that five of the eight goals were headers. Named player of the match, Mustaki admitted she was "a bit nervous" stepping into McCabe's shoes.

What's next

• Second leg: Tuesday, October 13, at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.
• Second round: if they see the tie out, Ireland will face the winner of Belgium vs Poland over two legs in November and December, the final stage of Europe's route to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

With an eight-goal cushion, the return leg in Cork looks more like a celebration than a decider. Ward's focus is already further down the road: getting to Brazil.

Sources: The Irish Times, Donegal News.