Republic of Ireland boss Carla Ward said her side produced a "proper Irish performance" as they ground out a crucial 1-0 win over Poland in World Cup qualifying.
Marissa Sheva scored the only goal of the game in the first half at the Aviva Stadium to hand Ward's side a second win in a week over the Poles.
It leaves the Irish in pole position to finish third in Group A2 and, in theory, be rewarded with a friendlier play-off route to next year's tournament in Brazil.
"I'm incredibly proud of this group in this camp. I spoke to them this morning because it's always difficult to play the same opponent twice," she told RTE.
"This group, they are an absolute joy to work with and that was a proper Irish performance.
"The last 20 minutes, we've been conceding opportunities and we wanted to make sure that didn't happen.
"There's so much to come from them and this performance is absolutely huge."
'This group has something special' – O'Sullivan
Midfielder Denise O'Sullivan, who went close to a spectacular second in the second half when she rattled the crossbar with a volley, also expressed her pride in a gritty display.
Republic of Ireland kept Barcelona and Poland captain Ewa Pajor quiet again in Dublin and after also running the Netherlands and France close, O'Sullivan believes the Irish are picking up real momentum after a difficult start to Ward's reign.
"We knew Poland would come out with something different and they were a bit more aggressive with their full-backs and were a bit more tight in midfield, their winger came in and marked me but all round, amazing performance," she told RTE.
"If you look, everyone turned up at the Aviva and stuck together. That is what we are about and I think this group has something special.
"We have a lot more to give, this team has really improved. We are improving every camp and we'll look for points against Netherlands and France."
