Irish captain and enforcer Katie McCabe has become Australian public enemy number one after clattering into a number of Matildas players during Ireland’s 1-0 loss to Australia in their World Cup opener at Stadium Australia.
McCabe, who is known for her aggressive play for Arsenal in the Women’s Super League, took out Hayley Raso with a borderline reckless studs-up challenge that had Australian fans livid.
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McCabe was the most booked player in the Super League this season gone, with an equal-top seven yellow cards, and even has a Twitter account dedicated to her referee interactions called “Did Katie McCabe get a yellow card today?”
With Raso a rising star of this Matildas line-up having recently signed with Spanish giants Real Madrid, the pair exchanged strong tackles through the first half before a bone-rattling challenge in the 38th saw the Matildas up in arms, with photos of the challenge looking deeply incriminating.
Former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley called it petulant.
“There‘s an element of petulance here from Katie McCabe,” Bardsley said on the BBC.
“These challenges from her have just started to add up now.
“It is the referee‘s responsibility to manage those situations, because if you don’t nip it in the bud then it will just keep escalating.
“We certainly don‘t want to see anyone either stretchered off or sent off.”
Another McCabe challenge shortly after half time saw Raso push back in a moment of biff that had football fans wondering whether it could’ve been on for young and old, clearly unhappy with how McCabe had been conducting herself throughout the game.
However, McCabe’s antics weren’t hated by everyone, with English presenter Laura Woods loving it.
“At one point she‘d gone down, she had her fingers strapped up, nothing is going to stop her, is it?” former talkSPORT Breakfast host Woods told ITV at half time.
“I‘m looking forward to seeing what happens in the second half between these two, as long as none of them get damaged!”
Australian football writer Joey Lynch called it a “titanic” battle between the pair, and there were no shortage of memes on social media.
McCabe herself has called for football to be even more physical and for the scrapping of yellow cards in the past, which will make for another entertaining battle in the unlikely event that the two sides meet again in this World Cup.
“I‘d like it [football] to be more physical, to be honest,” McCabe has previously said.
“So like, less yellow cards – [even] no yellow cards. Sometimes I think the physical aspect, that‘s what it’s there for. It’s a physical game.
“Referees can be kind of soft sometimes and not let the game go. Just let it flow – it‘s good, it’s professional, so I’d like to see the game have a bit more flow to it.”
The Matildas’ win over Ireland takes them to the top of the group, as they look to play Nigeria on July 27.