McCabe had 'goosebumps' after late Larkin winner

Katie McCabe says she had "goosebumps" from Abbie Larkin's 90th-minute winner in Belgium as the Republic of Ireland earned promotion to League A in the Nations League.

Carla Ward's side, inspired by captain McCabe, led 4-2 after the first leg but Tessa Wullaert's two goals eradicated the two-goal advantage.

The game looked like it would head to extra time but Larkin popped up to score in the 90th minute to give the Republic of Ireland a 5-4 win on aggregate.

"Scoring winners like that is unbelievable. I've got goosebumps even talking about it," Arsenal's McCabe told RTE.

"They are big, big moments."

Larkin's goal secured an immediate return to League A for the Irish in the 2027 World Cup qualifying, which guarantees Ward's side a play-off.

It was a breakthrough moment for the 20-year-old forward, who has often been used as an impact player since she made her debut in 2022.

"Larko has been in and around us for a while. She has been in great form for Palace and has really grown and matured over the past few years," McCabe added.

"We need to keep these players fit, healthy and in form because we're going to need everybody in the steps for World Cup qualifying."

It was a night to celebrate for McCabe as she won her 100th cap for her country in Leuven.

She also made her 50th appearance against the same opposition, but that game ended in defeat.

The 30-year-old said she would enjoy becoming the eighth woman to reach the landmark for Republic of Ireland, but her focus was quickly on the weekend as her club side Arsenal face Leicester City in the WSL.

"We'll enjoy the celebrations in the changing room, but my full focus is back on my club.

"Of course, I'll enjoy the moment with the girls and the staff. I'm very, very proud to achieve something like this. It is very sacred.

"It's a long time coming. I made my 50th appearance here in Belgium and we lost 1-0, so I'm happy to be here making my 100th and taking the win home."

Irish manager Ward was full of praise for her players and said the goals conceded, while "disappointing", weren't mentioned in the half-time team talk.

She said the focus was on how they could improve, and how they could tweak their system and instil belief in the players.

"We had to have a bit of belief, and we had to go again. It was a positive and calm half-time, and the reaction was brilliant," Ward told RTE Sport.

"The girls have dug in and they deserve an awful lot of credit."

It is an immediate return to the top tier for the Irish, who faced European champions England, France and Sweden in Euro 2025 qualifying.

Ward says she hopes for more high-quality opposition when the draw is made so they can keep improving going forward.

"We want to play against better teams, and we've shown that we can compete," she said.

"We want to try and prove ourselves and compete against others. You only get better by playing against the best.

"It will be interesting to see who we get next week and hopefully it's three big nations because we can learn an awful lot by playing those teams."