It's back to Tallaght for round two against Greece as the Republic of Ireland look to dress their Nations League window with another three points.
If February's 4-0 hammering in Slovenia left a gaping sore, Friday's 4-0 slaying of the Greeks was something of a balm. However old wounds will reopen if the Girls in Green fail to pick up three points tonight - and they must do so without two key figures.
Captain Katie McCabe will be watching from London. Her decision to chop down Stamatia Ntarzanou just inside the Irish half resulted in a deserved yellow card, and that means the Dubliner is suspended. On top of that Carla Ward said the Arsenal star, who was still recovering from a calf strain, felt a "slight reaction" after her exertions four days ago so she might not have played anyway.
Kyra Carusa is also missing with a quad injury. Amber Barrett is top of the queue to fill the Californian's shoes having come off the bench in Crete to win her 50th cap and nab a fine goal.
Ward has been full of praise for Barrett this week, a big personality who backs herself any chance she gets. Saoirse Noonan, so prolific for Celtic, has trained well in camp but if she's to make a first Ireland appearance in almost two years it will likely be as a sub.
In McCabe's absence Megan Campbell should continue at left-back, with Anna Patten and Jessie Stapleton resuming their centre-half partnership. Competition is intense in Ireland's back line. Caitlin Hayes barely put a foot wrong during Eileen Gleeson's time in charge but she can't get a look-in at the moment.
Stapleton, on loan at Sunderland from West Ham, is still only 20 years old. She played like a future captain on Friday; given Ward sees her as a centre-back, and not a defensive midfielder where she's previously operated, the Cherry Orchard graduate will be hard to dislodge.
"I think Jessie is better with the game in front of her. That is my belief, and that is her club's belief, her parent club’s belief and it is also Jessie’s belief," Ward said.
On the right, Heather Payne returns having fully recovered from an ankle injury. The Everton wing-back will put pressure on Aoife Mannion for the right-full spot, though she might also form part of a pacy three-player attack, with Leanne Kiernan on the left and Barrett up top.
Denise O'Sullivan will wear the armband and conduct things in the middle of the park where Tyler Toland (rather than Ruesha Littlejohn) could sit, with Marissa Sheva - so sprightly off the bench in Crete - buzzing between the lines.
Competition looks pretty healthy overall as Ward begins to figure out who suits her plans best. However things have not been plain sailing thus far and it's unlikely to be a cakewalk tonight.
Greece, ranked 61st in the world, are one of many improving nations that can catch a side like Ireland out if they're off colour.
Ward admitted Alexandros Katikaridis surprised the Irish coaching staff with how he set his players up the last day, revealing: "Greece are really interesting because coming into play us, they set up in three different ways in the three previous games. Then they did something a little bit different again with us... I think they’re in a moment of learning so we don’t necessarily know what they’re going to do but what we do know is what we can affect."
Everton's Veatriki Sarri, Union Berlin pair Eleni Markou and Athanasia Moraitou, and Anastasia Spyridonidou - who scored against Ireland back in 2019 - all caught the eye on their own patch.
They were well set up in the opening half, hungry in the tackle and happy to go direct down the channels to utilise the pace they have. Greece ran out of gas on the turnaround but they don't have to worry about a fresh McCabe coming off the bench this time.
The visitors will fancy their chances of frustrating Ward's charges, and the longer they manage to do that, the twitchier the hosts will get.
To top League B Group 2 Ireland must do the business here, then beat Turkey away before welcoming Slovenia to Páirc Uí Chaoimh for a climactic showdown. They might need to win that last game 5-0 unless the Slovenians slip up in their next couple of games, which looks unlikely.
Coming second in the group seems more likely; that would earn a place in the autumn's promotion/relegation playoff, which would hardly be a disaster. Indeed it would afford Ward another opportunity to blood younger talent, and further imprint her style on an Ireland squad in transition.
So it's not exactly do or die tonight. A good win would just breathe more oxygen into the idea that Ward is the right person to lead Ireland through an evolutionary phase and get them to a point where qualification for the 2027 World Cup is a realistic goal.
Momentum is needed - and only victories grease the wheels.
Prediction: Republic of Ireland 2-0 Greece
Predicted lineup: Courtney Brosnan; Aoife Mannion, Jessie Stapleton, Anna Patten, Megan Campbell; Tyler Toland, Denise O'Sullivan (capt), Marissa Sheva; Heather Payne, Leanne Kiernan, Amber Barrett
Watch Republic of Ireland v Greece in the Women's Nations League on Tuesday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On
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