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Ward's side have beaten Poland twice in a week to move into the driving seat to finish third Republic of Ireland boss Carla Ward said her side produced a "proper Irish performance" as they ground out a crucial 1-0 win over Poland in World Cup qualifying. Marissa Sheva scored the only goal of the game in the first half at the Aviva Stadium to hand Ward's side a second win in a week over the Poles. It leaves the Irish in pole position to finish third in Group A2 and, in theory, be rewarded with a friendlier play-off route to next year's tournament in Brazil. "I'm incredibly proud of this group in this camp. I spoke to them this morning because it's always difficult to play the same opponent twice, " she told RTE. "This group, they are an absolute joy to work with and that was a proper Irish performance. "The last 20 minutes, we've been conceding opportunities and we wanted to make sure that didn't happen. "There's so much to come from them and this performance is absolutely huge. " O'Sullivan won her 131st cap for Republic of Ireland in their win over Poland in Dublin Midfielder Denise O'Sullivan, who went close to a spectacular second in the second half when she rattled the crossbar with a volley, also expressed her pride in a gritty display. Republic of Ireland kept Barcelona and Poland captain Ewa Pajor quiet again in Dublin and after also running the Netherlands and France close, O'Sullivan believes the Irish are picking up real momentum after a difficult start to Ward's reign. "We knew Poland would come out with something different and they were a bit more aggressive with their full-backs and were a bit more tight in midfield, their winger came in and marked me but all round, amazing performance, " she told RTE. "If you look, everyone turned up at the Aviva and stuck together. That is what we are about and I think this group has something special. "We have a lot more to give, this team has really improved. We are improving every camp and we'll look for points against Netherlands and France. " Wild celebrations to verge of tears - time running out for Spurs Cunha gives Man Utd win at Chelsea to boost Champions League hopes Howe's biggest Newcastle challenge yet as questions grow on his future 31-0: International football's biggest ever defeat Preview the new drama from the creator of Baby Reindeer Join Tyler West and Alfie Watts on a Race Across the World debrief Lucy Punch stars as ‘alpha mum’ Amanda All the latest GAA news as we head into Championship season All the latest from Irish Rugby with BBC Sport NI All the latest news from the Irish Premiership Proud Cacace seeks Navarrete unification duel 'Now feels like the right time to start family' Wild celebrations to verge of tears - time running out for Spurs How Hampton's heroics bailed out Lionesses in win against Iceland Howe's biggest Newcastle challenge yet as questions grow on his future Iraola bowing out in style - where will he go next? How Coventry earned Premier League return after 25 years Crucible pays tribute to John Virgo at World Championship. Video Crucible pays tribute to John Virgo at World Championship 'Rusty' to 'relentless' - Red Roses deliver statement win 'Mums thank me for changing the narrative': How motherhood in rugby has evolved One of Arsenal's greatest unsung heroes - Keown's tribute to Manninger Nobody says who called first, but Arteta and Guardiola speak again - Balague What it's really like to try to make it to F1 What does the Saudi Arabia PIF's change in approach mean for Newcastle? Is this the beginning of the end for LIV Golf? A big topic for others, not for her - Eta on groundbreaking head coach role World Championship 2026: Matches, top seeds & BBC TV schedule World Cup winner Kildunne reveals body dysmorphia struggle Do you have to be a millionaire to become an F1 driver? 'I should have died' - Taylor on 10 years since forced retirement The Briton who remains in demand in NBA at 74 Another Sunday In Hell: The brutal race that thwarts the greats Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.