"Take a breath" was the message from experienced goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan at half-time as a transformed Ireland eleven eventually romped to a 4-0 victory over Greece in Crete.
In what was a disjointed opening 45 minutes, two changes at the break saw the visitors put in a comprehensive second-half performance to steamroll Greece and secure three vital away points in their UEFA Women's Nations League encounter.
Katie McCabe was rested due to a niggling injury, however, the Arsenal star came on at the break, and alongside fellow substitute Marissa Sheeva, changed Ireland’s fortunes and sent the side on the path to victory.
Less that four minutes of the second period had been played when Sheeva’s speculative shot from outside the box found its way into the bottom corner of the net by way of deflection, while McCabe’s quality was instrumental in goals two and three.
McCabe showed her class in the build-up to the second goal by skipping a couple of challenges before sending an inch-perfect delivery to the back post where the arriving Leanne Kiernan’s volley was palmed into the path of goalscorer Kyra Carusa.
And it was the accuracy of a McCabe delivery, this time from a corner on the right, which arrived perfectly for Jessie Stapleton to head home goal number three.
It was another substitute who added the gloss to the scoreline in injury time as Amber Barrett raced from the half-way line before calmly slotting the ball past the keeper to make it four for Ireland.
And the goalscorer, looking on from the bench for the first half, offered her perspective on how things changed around for a dominant second-period performance.
"I don’t think we were concerned, I think it was more frustration in the first half," said Barrett. "I think it was ourselves who were letting the game get away from us, just small moments and taking care of the football.
"If you are giving away five, six-yard passes, it doesn't matter who you are playing, teams will punish you, and I think Greece very much dominated the first half.
"But when the teams came in at half-time, Courtney said, 'everybody just take a breath’, and I think you just needed people to calm down and reset.
"Then Carla came in and did her bits and then everybody was raring to go then, and that was it then."
Barrett was also full of praise for McCabe and she stressed the importance of the skipper’s quality in the team, while adding that her influence inspires others even when she is not on the pitch.
"It’s something that is talked about for a long time about how important Katie is for us, and there’s absolutely no question that she is.
"Her importance for the team, you can’t question it, but it also shows when she doesn’t start the game, other players need to step up and I think the girls did that."
The appearance off the bench was Barrett’s 50th cap for her country and once she got a sniff late in the game, she was never going to relinquish the chance to mark the occasion with another international goal.
"I just checked over my shoulder and I knew I had 40 or 50 metres to run, but I always back myself in those situations," said Barrett.
"And when I got into the box, Denise was screaming at me, ‘pass it, pass it’, and I was like, ‘Denise, not today, lad, not today’, but the most important thing was to find the bottom of the corner."
Barrett also took time to offer sympathy and dedicate the victory to former coach Colin Healy, whose wife died 12 months ago.
"Can I just send condolences to the Healy family on the anniversary of Colin’s wife’s passing this time last year.
"So best to Colin and that result was for you."
