Manager Vera Pauw, who insists her Irish side remain on the right track, will not appreciate the irony that a much improved performance produced a heavier defeat than that sustained last Friday against in Reykjavik.

“We dominated early on but didn’t have the strength or stamina to continue and we have to eliminate mistakes and be more clinical,” she said, as familiar failings haunted Ireland.

Notwithstanding the bigger picture beloved of all sporting teams, the numbers offer a bleaker image.

Ireland’s women have extended their losing sequence to eight matches and 15 months, the worst run in the 48-year history of the international team, after falling to a second defeat in five days against a strong Iceland side.

Creating several opportunities and avoiding the defensive pitfalls that have so damaged them since embarking on this run, they are still nowhere closer to making the sort of statement their manager feels is necessary to finally qualify for a major tournament.

They will win their next game, away to Georgia this autumn, as they kick-start their World Cup qualifying campaign, but the evidence that they can produce the necessary qualities to trouble chief group rivals Finland and Sweden remains elusive.

Second-half goals from Berglind Bjorg Thorvaldsdottir (54) and Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir (82) confirmed victory for the hosts and, although they kept plugging away, Ireland simply ran out of ideas and energy by the end of this game.

At least they had some idea to begin with this week compared to the largely limp effort which had opened this current international window.

With a tweak in formation as well as intent, Ireland had clearly absorbed many of the harsh lessons dished out to them when going 3-0 down at half-time a few days ago, displaying less inhibition as well as much more intensity and invention as they picked up where their stirring second-half fight-back had left off.

Mindful of that belated revival, Pauw’s four changes reflected how her side had completed that first game in Reykjavik

Aside from Courtney Brosnan replacing Grace Moloney in goal and Claire O’Riordan stepping in for Niamh Fahey, Éabha O’Mahoney and Amber Barrett, who respectively replaced Niamh Farrelly and Aoife Colvill at half-time, came in for the start this time around; it was O’Mahony’s first start for her country and she impressed.

Although they created opportunities, few were clear-cut chances and given that they have produced little in the fashion of a clinical edge of late, you felt Pauw’s side would always struggle to convert.

Keeping them out at the other end has been the much more worrying issue and, once more, both concessions were utterly avoidable.

Iceland – Runarsdottir; Halldorsdottir (Vidarsdottir 80), Viggosdottir, Gisladottir, Sigurdardottir (Arnardottir h-t) G Jónsdóttir (Tomsdottir 80), Johannsdottir (Hauksdottir HT), Brynjarsdottir (Agustsdottir 73); S Jonsdottir (Gudmundsdottir 74), Thorvaldsdottir (Jensen 80), Vilhjalmsdottir.

Republic of Ireland – Brosnan; Finn, O’Riordan, Caldwell, Quinn, O’Mahony (McLaughlin 80); Payne, O’Sullivan, Connolly, McCabe; Barrett (Ziu 62).

Ref – K Dowie (England)