Defiant in defeat, the Republic of Ireland sent out a warning shot to group rivals, the Netherlands, as they battled bravely, but ultimately lost 1-0 to France at the Aviva Stadium.
Shooting blanks against the World Cup finalists, perhaps, but loud and attention grabbing all the same, and if the Dutch are to take one of the two automatic places at next summer's Euro 2024 tournament, they will have to go through Stephen Kenny’s side and earn their place in Germany.
Both Ireland and the Netherlands have lost to Didier Deschamps' side in the opening two games of the campaign, and it is already looking as though France will move clear and qualify with a bit to spare in this eight-game shoot-out.
Monday night lights at Lansdowne Road for Ireland’s first taste of Euro activity in front of a packed-out stadium, and while they left empty handed, the departing crowd exited the arena, heads high, hearts full of hope.
Detractors, doubters, day-trippers, die-hards; there was a collective apprehension going into this opener against a side who have contested the last two World Cup finals – losing on penalties to Argentina in December, while lifting the coveted Cup in 2018.
The fear factor added to the intrigue as Ireland took to the pitch, and while things started brightly for the home side, that moment in the eighth minute when Randal Kolo Muani burst through on goal, put the team, and the crowd, on high alert for the remaining 80-odd minutes.
But neither the battering nor the barrage arrived en masse, and it was not due to any sort of French ennui but rather a well-organised, energetic and enthusiastic display from the home side.
Not to say that Ireland were equals in attack – set-piece balls were really the only route to goal in the first half – but they were comfortable repelling the star-studded selection throughout a lively opening 45 minutes.
Enter Benjamin Pavard.
Another goal from outside the penalty area, however, this one was unlike the others, as it came from the most unlikely of sources – a misplaced Josh Cullen pass.
Attacking from the left, some sloppy France play allowed Cullen to take the ball into space away from the Ireland goal, and then inexplicably, he slipped the ball sideways to team-mate Jason Knight who had moved ahead of the ball as the advanced full-back, Pavard, could not believe his luck.
There was nothing fortuitous about the resulting shot that flew in off the underside of the bar, as Pavard unleashed an unstoppable effort that left Gavin Bazunu with very little chance of stopping.
It would, as it happened, then take an incredible save at the other end to secure all three points for the travelling French, and it arrived in the final moments of an incredible bout of Irish pressure throughout the closing stages of this entertaining encounter.
"Maignan’s save was just as important as the goal," said France coach, Deschamps in the post-match press conference, as he was asked about Nathan Collins’ last-minute effort that looked set to snatch a point for Ireland.
"It was an incredible save, but we know what Mike is capable of. This save was significant and I never had any doubts about him, he is a great leader and a great player," added the France coach.
"Save of the season, out of this world", was how the Ireland manager described Maignan’s one-handed moment of magic, which denied his side a point to start off the campaign.
Kenny, however, put the France goal down to "one of those things" and he certainly was not going to hang Josh Cullen out to dry for the mistake, considering the midfielder has been the player upon which this side has been built over the past three years.
"He played very well overall in the game," said Kenny. "His pass completion rate normally is very, very high. He doesn't give the ball away, that's what he does.
"He doesn't pass the ball long on many occasions. Occasionally, he hits a long pass and he has that in his armoury and can do it, but essentially a lot of short passes is part of his game.
"He knits the play together, he provides an important function for the team, so it's very uncharacteristic to give it away.
"I'm very proud of him. He's been so consistent for us, so that's just one of those things."
The fact that Ireland were still in the game and in position to go after that precious point is testament to the fine team performance against such quality opposition, and then to be able to create a host of late chances during that ten-minute whirlwind finish will surely have pleased the manager as he looks forward to two games in June.
"We’ve watched France’s last 20 games and I’ve never seen Kylian Mbappe, who I voted for as the best player in the world, have such a quiet night. I’ve never seen it," added Kenny, paying tribute to the team, limiting the France captain and World Cup Golden Boot winner to a supporting role in the victory.
But perhaps the biggest compliment that Kenny’s team received, which will add another layer of confidence to this still-emerging unit, was the French team’s professional approach to the game.
The manager saw it as a mark of respect from Deschamps, and he believes that the performance augurs well for the remainder of the campaign.
"I think France have watched us and they knew we would be tough opponents," said Kenny. "They paid us a lot of respect and they pressed us extremely high. They don't always press as high as that, so I think we've shown we're potentially a really good team now."
Kenny’s men will now go in search of six points in the summer, starting with an away day in the Athens’ summer temperatures, which will present its own particular challenge.
"The big challenge is in June when we go to Greece, in the middle of the summer," said Kenny.
"Back-to-back games, Greece and Gibraltar, so we move on and learn from this performance the next few days.
"There will have to be extensive preparations because we have six weeks between the end of the Championship and the game in Greece.
"We have training at Bristol City and then we go to Turkey to prepare for Greece. Preparations will have to be exceptional.
"It is a very important campaign for us and we're disappointed we didn't get a point, but there's a lot of points to play for and we want to make sure that we put ourselves really in contention coming into the last couple of games."
