Five moments that made Ireland's dream year

The Republic of Ireland women's team are preparing for a first ever appearance at the World Cup thanks to a brilliant, barrier-breaking 2022.

Vera Pauw's charges held their nerve when the pressure was at its most extreme to get over the line and book a ticket to the finals in Australia and New Zealand.

They'll face a huge challenge once they get there having been drawn against co-hosts Australia, Canada and Nigeria, but for now they're entitled to savour and reflect on a memorable achievement.

We picked out five key moments that made 2022 the year of Pauw's tigers.

1. BUILDING SQUAD DEPTH AT THE PINATAR CUP

In February Pauw named a 27-player squad for the Pinatar Cup, an eight-team friendly tournament that saw Ireland beat Poland 2-1, lose 1-0 to Russia and then defeat Wales 1-0 to finish third overall.

The wins were nice, but this was all about building towards April's massive World Cup qualifier against Sweden. Megan Campbell came back into the Ireland fold for the first time in a year and a half, Shelbourne's Abbie Larkin received a maiden senior call-up and Chloe Mustaki also made a return following a two-year injury-forced hiatus.

"Developing all of the players is part of our journey and makes us stronger overall with more options in every position that we know that we can rely on," Pauw said at the time. "Our intention was always to use this week to work hard on what we will need to call on when we play Sweden in our next World Cup qualifier in April."

A productive camp would serve the Irish well for the trip to Gothenburg.

2. A STEELY SWEDISH STATEMENT

Ireland's reputation as a remarkably resilient side has been earned on evenings such as the 1-1 draw at the Gamla Ullevi Stadium. Sweden were ranked No 2 in the world at the