Picking positives from such a difficult defeat is not an easy task for Stephen Kenny, following the 2-0 defeat to France at the Parc des Princes.
But the Ireland manager has no other option other than drawing a big line in the sand and focusing firmly on Sunday night for what could be a campaign-defining, or campaign-ending encounter.
For the Netherlands are coming to Dublin for a vital Group B contest, and Ronald Koeman's side are arriving full of confidence following a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Greece.
Ireland, on the other hand, had the stuffing knocked out of them as they were thoroughly beaten in what was a draining defeat to a world class France side, who looked back to their very best following that stuttering performance in Dublin, where they just edged Ireland.
But on this occasion, they were primed from the opening minute with Kylian Mbappe virtually unplayable in the early stages, eventually setting up the first goal of the game, as Aurelien Tchouameni’s stylish effort put the home side in front with just 19 minutes on the clock.
In truth, it could have been more by the time the two sides traipsed off at half-time but with just one goal in it, Kenny’s side could have come out with confidence in the second half.
If the first goal was a shot from outside the box, Ireland’s other Achilles’ Heel appears to be their penchant for conceding just after the break, and substitute Marcus Thuram kept that continuity as he helped the ball home from close range just three minutes after the break.
From there, France were in cruise control and they never let up as they maintained their attacking intent all the way to the end of the six additional minutes at the end of the 90.
And that is where the manager will begin rebuilding this jaded unit to be ready to go against the Dutch on Sunday night.
Only losing by two against the full-strength World Cup finalists in full flow on their home patch is something for the manager to take into that defeated dressing room – the fact that the Dutch rolled over and conceded four against the French in Paris is another small step to be emphasised in the build-up to the next game.
And on reflection, there were positives to be taken from that first half at the Parc des Princes, with some good running on the ball from both Adam Idah and Chiedozie Ogbene, taking the play towards the France penalty area.
Lacking quality and composure in the final third prevented Ireland from really testing the French goal in that opening period, but the team also looked quite solid at the back with the three-man defence sticking centrally and limiting France to very few clear cut opportunities, despite all their possession.
The goal was world class, although it may never have come to fruition had Idah been awarded a free for a tough tackle from behind, which led to the period of sustained pressure in the final third.
Positives from the second half again come from the fact that nothing further was conceded following that Thuram goal, while Ogbene maintained his levels throughout. Festy Ebosele’s ten-minute cameo offered enough to suggest that he might have earned a few more minutes off the bench for Sunday’s clash with the Dutch.
Fatigue will now be a major consideration for the manager who will also have to roll check to see who is fit to play, with additional question marks now hanging over Enda Stevens and Will Keane, while John Egan played the entire France match coming off the back of a nasty injury. But on a positive note, Matt Doherty will return, which will add experience and fresh legs into the Ireland game plan.
The manager is now rightly putting the emphasis on the mini-group within the group, with France way out on their own, with the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland playing for that second automatic spot.
The Dutch will fancy their chances of coming to Dublin and getting a result, however, Kenny is eyeing a win that will bring a certain amount of parity between the three teams to take into the final games in the group.
"It’s not a question of confidence," said Kenny, when asked about the ability for the players to take a confident approach to the game following a difficult defeat.
"Holland have had a convincing win tonight. They’ll be very tough opponents on Sunday. But we’re at home and our morale is good.
"We have just got to get ready for Sunday now. We’ve got Greece at home and Gibraltar away in October so it’s that big for us. We know it’s that big for us.
"The players have given everything of themselves. It’s about recovering now, it will take a lot out of them.
"The energy of the home crowd has been special, it has been special in those real games. It’s been electric at home in those games and we need that again on Sunday, to pull out the performance of our lives, that’s what we’ve got to do."
