The Republic of Ireland outgunned Poland in a topsy-turvy World Cup qualifier played on a pudding of a pitch at Polsat Plus Arena Gdansk.
Goals from Emily Murphy, Katie McCabe and Marissa Sheva ultimately sank a highly rated Poland side who drew 2-2 with the Netherlands at this ground a month ago, though there were twists and turns along the way.
Tanja Pawollek gave the home side a lifeline after Ireland rushed into a 2-0 lead; then Ewa Pajor struck to make it 3-2 and set up a grandstand finish soon after McCabe had missed a penalty.
But the Girls in Green saw it out.
The result boosts their hopes of finishing third in the group, which would earn a kinder route through the autumn's play-offs. However, it's the nature of this win that will really please boss Carla Ward.
They beat the Poles with brains, not brawn, consistently tiptoeing their way out of danger despite parts of the surface resembling the crease on a cricket pitch. And when the chips were down in the closing stages, they had the steel to hold firm.
The countries meet again this Saturday afternoon at Aviva Stadium.
Ward was forced into a pre-match tweak. Striker Kyra Carusa picked up a bug overnight so Abbie Larkin came in to play up top alongside Murphy, with Denise O'Sullivan returning to the engine room having recovered from a knee injury that ruled her out of the defeat to the Netherlands last month.
The pitch was in dreadful condition; dry, bumpy and scarred with divots. It was always going to be scrappy fare but Ward's charges settled well.
Larkin prodded a decent chance over the bar in response to an early Pajor attack, and it quickly became evident that the surface was going to make this clash a skittish game of cat and mouse.
In the 12th minute, the visitors nicked a goal. Sheva instinctively poked a fizzed O'Sullivan pass towards Murphy who fired in a low effort that squeezed past West Ham stopper Kinga Szemik.
The hosts had been leaning back on the ropes, trying to lure Ireland into situations where they could be sucker-punched. Now they were one down and boxed in, Ireland taking control of proceedings with impressive authority.
By the 20th minute, the lead was doubled. Megan Connolly's inswinging corner was nodded out to the edge of the area. McCabe watched it fall from the sky and then walloped in a beautifully controlled volley. Szemik didn't even move.
Poland were always going to show some attacking potency and they had a golden chance to get back into it just before the half-hour mark when the ball broke to Pajor five yards out. Anna Patten produced a magnificent block on the stretch to prevent a certain goal.
POLAND GOAL - Tanja Pawollek
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 14, 2026
From a corner a flicked header from Pawollek gets the hosts back in it.
43 mins: 🇵🇱 1-2 🇮🇪
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That save stirred the natives. Pajor had Irish defenders in a tizzy as she twisted and turned inside the box - this time Mustaki got her body in the way of the Barcelona star's effort. But three minutes before the break, they got their lifeline. Paulina Tomasiak pinged in a peach of a cross from the right, Pawollek glanced in a super header that kissed the post and settled in Courtney Brosnan's net. Game on.
The expectation was Poland would re-emerge for the second half with impetus, but it was Ireland who dictated the tempo in the early exchanges. The Poles craved chaos; the visitors sought control.
Ireland took the sting out of things by stringing necklaces of passes together in defiance of the scruffy surface. Their courage was rewarded in the 59th minute: O'Sullivan stole back the ball to feed Murphy, she slipped a pass to Sheva and the Sunderland midfielder rocketed a superb shot into the top left corner.
The game sagged after that, Poland looking tired and disheartened.
But then Pajor showed why she's regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe. Ewelina Kamczyk popped a 78th-minute diagonal over the top, Pajor killed the dropping ball with her first touch, then lofted an inch-perfect finish beyond Brosnan with her second.
It was a lapse in Irish concentration ruthlessly punished.
However, four minutes later, Ireland were given the chance to put the game to bed. Oliwia Woś clipped Murphy's heels in the box to concede a penalty, which McCabe blazed over the bar.
That offered Poland fresh hope. They launched balls forward hoping for a break, but didn't have the conviction to match their desperation.
Victory for Ireland, and another very encouraging step forward.
Poland: Kinga Szemik; Aleksandra Zaremba, Paulina Dudek, Oliwia Woś, Martyna Wiankowska (Wiktoria Zieniewicz 69); Adriana Achcinska (Milena Kokosz 86), Ewelina Kamczyk, Tanja Pawollek (Gabriela Grzybowska 66); Paulina Tomasiak, Natalia Padilla (Patrycja Sarapata 66), Ewa Pajor (capt)
Republic of Ireland: Courtney Brosnan; Aoife Mannion, Anna Patten, Caitlin Hayes, Chloe Mustaki, Katie McCabe (capt); Megan Connolly, Denise O'Sullivan, Marissa Sheva (Jess Ziu 87); Abbie Larkin (Amber Barrett 69); Emily Murphy
Referee: Hristiyana Guteva (Bulgaria)
