Pauw: Maturing Ireland dealt well with 'nasty' Slovakia 

PROGRESSING: Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw with her players after the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Qualifier match between Slovakia and Republic of Ireland at National Training Centre in Senec, Slovakia. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Tackling and passing assignments against a “nasty team” like Slovakia is Vera Pauw’s evidence of a maturing Ireland team she’s presiding over.

Ireland’s players, especially Katie McCabe, were left with the wounds of a bruising evening in Senec, where the slickness of Slovakia in Dublin during last November’s 1-1 draw was replaced by a sinister undertone.