Several Republic of Ireland players fell to their knees at the final whistle on Thursday night as they closed out a 1-0 win against Finland that sent them to the World Cup play-offs.
And then they rose up. They hugged and danced; some raced towards the stands where their family and friends were waiting; others walked around the pitch, hands on heads, trying to soak it all up.
Pretty quickly though, the elation subsided and minds were refocused. Reaching the play-offs is a big breakthrough for this Ireland team, but the ultimate goal is to make it to the finals.
In that context, Tuesday's final group game in Slovakia is no dead rubber because it could boost Ireland's ranking and earn them a bye to round 2 of a complex play-off format.
"We have a play-off spot and still have a game to go," Vera Pauw said afterwards.
"Who would have said that? We were dreaming about it. It's very special. We are going to Slovakia to win... it will be really difficult to play the same kind of game but we are going to try it.
"That could maybe bring us closer. We will know tomorrow when all the results come in (what round of the play-offs we enter).
"The hard work gets rewarded for this special group. You can see it. Changes were just done by them (at half-time). They gave us so much trust. We have them so much trust. We're not there yet, we're growing and growing and growing."
Pauw told her players to celebrate in the ground but insisted there would be no party at the team hotel. They'll do some recovery work today and then set their sights on Bratislava.
Katie McCabe also stressed that Ireland must not lose focus ahead of their meeting with a dogged Slovakia, but the Arsenal star could not disguise her sheer relief.
"I ran over and gave my Ma a big hug," she said.
"I was so happy to see my family there and them cheering us on. I used to roam about the Square (in Tallaght) when I was younger so to get to a World Cup play-off just a stone's throw away from my house is pretty special.
"It was just a relief. I've been working so hard for this since I came in six years ago.
"There are people who have been here 12 years longer than me. It’s such a moment even for past players that were watching us in the crowd. It is another step, but we will enjoy the moment because we have never done it before."
All week there had been so much talk of the 1-0 loss in Ukraine almost two years ago that effectively crushed Ireland's hopes of making it to the Euros.
That was a desperately painful night, but the team looks like they've emerged stronger for it. Certainly Pauw has increased the panel's strength in depth, evident in the impact Lily Agg made off the bench last night and the assured display of Megan Campbell who filled in for the injured Niamh Fahey.
"Do you know what, we've given ourselves a chance to get there," added McCabe.
"We're in the play-off now, I don't know who we'll draw but we've given ourselves the best chance possible. We'll recover tonight and tomorrow, dissect the game, see where we can improve and look to finish this campaign on a high.
"It probably looked nervy, but we were pretty calm. It was just about figuring out their set-up. We grew in confidence in the game then, got some set-pieces and got the goal in the end."
Sounds simple, but of course it's not. Ireland just weren't functioning in the first half. They looked nervous, too deep, and unsure of themselves tactically.
One of Pauw's great strengths is her assuredness when the chips are down and the much-improved second half was testament to her own ability to fix what looks to be broken.
She's also exorcised the ghosts of past failures with a matter-of-fact approach underpinned by a genuinely strong bond with her players.
"We don't fear anyone," Pauw declared.
"I said after half-time, 'no fear of failure, feel free - within the framework, feel free'. That is our secret."
