The Lionesses head back to England with their heads held high, after finding three points over the Republic of Ireland under the lights of AVIVA Stadium. A maestro performance came in the form of Keira Walsh at her best, as the English midfielder’s stellar performance saw her dictate the play on all fronts.

The Halfway Line had the chance to speak to Walsh after the final whistle, as she reflected on the ‘really good’ victory in Dublin. Expressing “I think obviously after the Sweden game we knew that it was an important game tonight for us. We knew we needed to win and get some points on the board, so yeah, really happy with the result.”

Recent fixtures on the world stage have seen opponents pay particular attention to Walsh, as she becomes a likely target of direct marking inside of the central areas. Tonight’s display in Dublin saw just the opposite, as Walsh painted her brilliance across the turf of the AVIVA.

Reflecting on her individual performance, she expressed “I think before the game, Sarina mentioned she wasn’t sure how they were going to play. So for me, when I came out and kind of saw them sitting back, I was really happy. I think it allows me to express the way I want to play and find the girls in the pockets. I think Tooney and Jess [Park] pick up some really good positions, so to find them, and that’s where they are really dangerous.I think we’re really happy with the first half in particular.”

As the next generation of Lionesses begin to filter their way through the system, Walsh digested how she has found her new position in becoming a leader amidst the midfield calibre of Jess Park and Grace Clinton in the central areas.

“I think that’s what we want- we want those younger players to be coming through, starting, and putting in really big performances- so we’re really happy with that. I think obviously having Leah [Williamson] back tonight was massive for us. You can see the calmness she brings, and the leadership role that she has for us is massive.”

England captain Leah Williamson made her Lionesses return in this evening’s clash, after a prolonged spell away from the national team throughout her ACL recovery. Speaking on Williamson’s leadership strength, as well as having her best friend back in the mix, Walsh packed on the praise for the England captain.

“Unreal. It’s obviously been a tough journey for her, but these are the moments that she’s been working hard for and I think she put in an unbelievable performance. She’s been out for so long, it’s not been an easy team to play against, they’re very physical so I think you can see the quality she has. I think personally, really happy to have her back, and professionally.”

Walsh drew comparisons from tonight’s meeting with the Girls and Green and that of the Sweden clash, describing how the two fixture’s differed ‘tactically’.

“I think tonight was a game of two halves. Tactically I think it was very difficult against Sweden, I think it was a very tactical game. I think tonight it was a lot more physical, a lot more intense. The way they pressed allowed us to play a bit quicker and speed the game up.

Against Sweden we sat in, and sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to speed up in those areas. So especially the first half, we’re really happy with that. Second half, you know that they’re a really good team and they are really on the front foot, so I think that’s where we need to use the spaces in behind a bit more, and really use those channels and stretch them. Really really happy with the three points.”

Over 30,000 piled through the turnstiles this evening as the Irish contingent showed up in inspirational numbers under the lights in Dublin. Leaving a final word on the excellent growth of women’s football, Walsh expressed her glee in seeing the game reach new heights.

“It’s massive, even when you look at Australia now after the World Cup it’s incredible to see women’s football. It’s really noisy as well, when we were having a few corners against us you could definitely hear the crowd. But, that’s the game we want to be playing, as a player I love that when you can feel the opposition crowd, and it was an exciting game for us. Hopefully women’s football can continue going that way.”