‘Keep your head up, don’t let them see you cry’ – Team-mates rally round Marissa Sheva after penalty woe

“It was really, really unfortunate. I haven't watched it back. I was frustrated because I don't feel like I made that much contact. But it's a strategic thing.

“I haven't watched it back so I don't want to say entirely but yeah, it was frustrating.

“For me, we had a lot of opportunities to get out there and we saw how many awesome opportunities we had at the end of the second half. Abbie and Lucy came on and were awesome.

“There was a lot of pressure on them towards the end. You know, if we play that game again, it could be different. But yeah, unfortunate.

“It's the first game. We have two big games, so big opportunities. And it's frustrating to lose that way.

“And I'm crushed for the girls that that's how we conceded but the support from them has been incredible. You know, we rally back. Get ready for another game.”

Player Ratings as Ireland fall to hosts in Australia

A bit like Mary Fowler’s reaction to Sam Kerr’s shock decision – “Shit happens,” said the daughter of a Dub – Ireland treated their misfortune the same.

The only difference was the cost was far steeper.

Kyra Carusa consoled her team-mate at the end of the game

“I told her that there was plenty of minutes, plenty of matches to be played in this. Plenty, don’t let that define anything. Keep your head up, don’t let them see you cry, don’t let them. There is plenty of games left to be played in this World Cup.”

“It was one thing and that was the difference-makers at the end of the day, you want to control what you can control and it is just tough to see, a big ball is put in the box and someone goes down and it gets called a penalty.

“That is not something you want to see, that is my immediate thought but also my immediate thought is that how impressive it was at the end of that game and how much opportunity we had and we can take that into the next game.

Ireland boss Pauw says that Sheva will be okay after the mistake that allowed Steph Catley to convert the penalty which condemned Ireland to defeat in their World Cup Group B opener.

Sheva was visibly upset after her substitution following the impetuous push on Hayle Raso that effectively decided the tight contest and was in tears at the final whistle, when she was consoled by team-mates and staff.

“She is fine,” said the Ireland manager.

“If you play for first time at a World Cup and get a penalty against you it is normal that you will be upset. But she is fine, anybody can make that mistake. I need to look back at it.

“It is probably also just the circumstances. At half-time I said this is a game that would be decided if one thing goes against you, if one team makes a mistake they will get the result because it was that type of a game.”

Lucy Quinn bemoaned the set-back so soon after half-time when she was still on the bench, before being produced as Ireland almost clinched an equaliser in the final seconds with chances for namesake Louise and Katie McCabe.

“It was difficult to see at pitch level so I didn't see a lot. They’re the fine margins of football. I didn’t see a lot of what happened but one thing in the game costs us the goal.

“You’d think it was a home decision but there’s VAR now and you’d hope everything gets flagged up. I don’t know if she saw something or reacted the roar of the crowd.

“That made the task tougher and we reacted well. It could've went one of two ways. We didn’t sit back and sulk, had corner after corner and could have got a point.”