Late-year play-offs will decide their fate; the less damage sustained in these rarefied climes of the elite Nations League will help, though. Ironically, this was their heaviest defeat against the lesser-ranked of their three world-class group rivals.
They had started better here than in their opening two defeats to France and England, but after a bright opening half, they still trailed for the third game in succession and struggled to produce a late salvo.
Had they taken either of two glorious first-half chances, perhaps the script might have been altered; instead, a slick Swedish side displayed much more composure and deserved their comprehensive win.
Energised by fresh legs, Ireland threw as much as they could at the night late on – and Megan Campbell’s limb-thrusting throws – but compared to the best they could muster early on, it was more bluster.
That they lost a third on the break, with captain Katie McCabe clearly struggling after her frantic fortnight, undid their early brio.
Ireland have had enough difficulties developing any semblance of midfield cohesion that losing two of their veteran central pairs within hours of kick-off was hardly ideal.
The absences of Denise O’Sullivan and Ruesha Littlejohn effectively confirmed the Irish tactic of simply avoiding midfield as much as they could, simply because they were not capable of exerting any control there.
After a diffident opening, their tactic was simple, direct long balls forward; they produced as much profit as possible without gaining the highest reward.
It helped that Ireland also had an old-fashioned 4-4-2; not pretty, but pretty effective. A crowd of 22,868 didn’t care.
With Heather Payne also injured and Aoife Mannion dropped, Jess Ziu had come in to shore up the right while Lily Agg and Jessie Stapleton attempted to replicate the wiles of their absent colleagues.
They couldn’t possibly come close aside from rare flashes.
Agg could have been finished before she started after an early two-footed lunge; the Swedes had anticipated physicality and they certainly received it, Chelsea star Nathalie Bjorn needing treatment after tangling with Irish captain Katie McCabe.
Sweden attempted brisk passing but didn’t always succeed, thanks to Irish pressure; the hosts struggled to attain any composed pattern of play.
They were happy to go long and it brought occasional rewards, a hoofed goal-kick, second ball and sweeping ball wide to Ziu producing the game’s first corner, Agg instigating a game of ping pong with her back-post header.
Rudimentary stuff perhaps, but it did relieve pressure and cause some measure of Swedish angst as Ireland prodded and probed; Sweden responded with a decent raid on the left, but Man City’s Filippa Angeldal swished a shot handsomely wide.
Ireland had to go long as their short passing was meek and inaccurate; even McCabe sought to fling the ball quickly and stretch the Swedes.
A perfect example arrived midway through the half; Cailtyn Hayes hitting long down her right flank, Amber Barrett, not for the first time, collecting and finding the late arriving Agg, whose deft flick went agonisingly wide of Zecira Musovic’s post.
That move had started with a high press from Kyra Carusa, forcing the Swedes to concede possession.
Much more front-footed than against France and England, the Irish were benefiting at both ends of the pitch.
Until one of their familiar, fatal errors. They couldn’t even argue they were done on the counter, as they conceded the ball before halfway, but three passes later, Johanna Rytting Kaneyrd was confidently swatting the ball past Courtney Brosnan after Ireland’s entire left flank went AWOL.
It was the type of goal once had hoped had been coached out of this Irish side, but clearly not; within seconds, a decent 20-minute stint had been undone by self-flagellating sloppiness.
Ireland could have responded immediately, ironically after their best passing passage; McCabe strenuously struggled through three defenders to find Agg centrally.
She swept it wide to Ziu, whose cross found Barrett’s head seemingly no distance from goal but far enough for her to nod it over inconceivably.
Another long Hayes ball was diverted by Linda Sembrant into Barrett’s path, but the Donegal woman couldn’t keep control; an apt depiction of the game’s progress.
Nonetheless, despite the scoreline, it was at least their most cohesive first half this year. They continued in the same vein after the break, but self-harm remained their enemy, Brosnan spilling Angeldal’s cross, prompting unnecessary angst that the impressive Ziu becalmed.
Brosnan’s atonement was peremptory when denying Barcelona’s Champions League winner Fridolina Rolfo after a lightning-quick break from deep, seeking the second to quench the Irish spirit.
By the hour, they had done so, producing a goal of such stunning quality that it alone demonstrated the gulf in class between the sides.
It was instigated with a precise, triangular exit from the right-back position before they accelerated slickly down the same wing, Angeldal ultimately squaring to Rolfo, who had too much time to contemplate a neat curling effort.
They immediately began thinking of Tuesday’s return tie as Ireland attempted to stem the bleeding, perhaps knowing deep down it won’t be nights like these that decide their qualification fate.
Sweden added a third, the wilting McCabe again giving the ball away, the visitors gambolling on the counter, and though Brosnan saved from sub Matilda Vinberg, Kaneyrd pounced for her second.
Ireland: Brosnan; Ziu, Hayes, Quinn, Patten (Mannion 73), McCabe capt; Stapleton (Toland 59), Agg (Campbell 73), Connolly, McCabe; Barrett (Murphy 84), Carusa (Kiernan 73) .
Sweden: Musovic; J Andersson, Eriksson (Hammarlund 67), Sembrant, Bjorn (Lundkvist HT); Zigotti Olme, Asslani capt (Vinberg 67), Angeldal; Rolfo (Kafaji 89), Janogy, Rytting Kaneryd.
Referee: Katalin Kulcsár (Hungary)