Vera Pauw admitted the Republic of Ireland must learn to live with being the favourites after they overcame a dogged and physical Morocco in Marbella on Monday evening.
Goals from Megan Campbell, Katie McCabe, Louise Quinn and Kyra Carusa earned the Girls in Green a 4-0 victory, but this was harder work than the scoreline would suggest.
Ireland were two goals to the good with less than eight minutes on the clock and looked set to win at a canter. However the game became bogged down for the guts of an hour, as the Moroccans made it a gritty, needly encounter that was pockmarked with a few feisty challenges.
"We're very happy with the win, it was a good win, a clean sheet again," Pauw said afterwards.
"The last goal we got against us was in Sweden [back in April]. But you will not hear me saying we played our best game so far because we didn’t.
"It was [a physical game], and I must also say we were not really protected for that. We said before the game, 'don’t let anything provoke you’, because we know how they play. We knew how they would play.
"But everybody is fit. There’s no injuries. Denise [O'Sullivan] was taken off because she didn’t play for three weeks, she didn’t train for three weeks before she came into our camp, so that was a precaution so she wouldn’t get any hamstring or ligament injuries out of the fatigue. Megan Campbell the same thing. And we had to make some changes to see some players."
Reflecting on why Ireland lost their rhythm after the two early goals, Pauw added: "You know what it is? We have been fighting for three years maybe against higher level opponents and that was necessary to get the results we had. Now it’s the first game in a long time that we are making the play.
"Against Georgia that was the last time we done it. I was proud of the way we started because it is very difficult after such a high to start in the way we did, but then to keep having the discipline and sharpness and togetherness in teamwork, that is so difficult.
"I said at half-time, ‘this is what we meant in our team meeting, it is very difficult’. We set ourselves the aim, we might not be able to play our best game ever, but we must have the intention to play the best game ever."
Ireland will be underdogs against Australia and Canada in their World Cup group games but they will be fancied to beat Nigeria. With that in mind, the Moroccans provided a useful test.
They were understrength in Spain but still managed to make life awkward for Ireland. In essence, they spoiled the game, and that's a lesson Pauw really wants her charges to heed.
"I'm not pleased with the game," she emphasised. "We said to each other this is not the best game but what a brilliant year we had and having such high highs it is so difficult to reach your level again.
"The opponent didn’t let us get into our game again and that is credit to them. On the other hand, a little bit of protection [from the referee] is also necessary.
"The good thing of playing Morocco was to have a complete different style of play to face an opponent that is very streetwise and at times will know what to do to stop you."
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