Courtney Brosnan says helping to secure qualification for Republic of Ireland women's first-ever World Cup finals is the highlight of her career so far.

The Everton goalkeeper travelled to Hampden Park in Glasgow on Tuesday evening and was pivotal to the Irish’s success, denying Caroline Weir from a spot-kick in the first half and maintaining a clean sheet as Ireland beat Scotland 1-0 in the play-off final to reach next year's tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Still overwhelmed with emotion, Brosnan reflected on a truly special and historic night for her nation.

“It's kind of hard to put in to words how much it means to me, to the girls and to the country,” she told evertonfc.com. “It's been absolutely amazing, to be honest.

“Heading into the game I think you're just so focused on the task at hand and getting the job done, so the emotion takes over at the end.

“There's been a lot of tears and a lot of smiles. It's been great.”

Ireland headed into Tuesday’s match with an impressive run of form of three wins and three clean sheets in their final World Cup qualifiers. And while there could have been an element of quiet confidence among the group, Brosnan knew the level of opposition she would be up against at a venue renowned for the expansive pitch.

“We know how great Scotland are,” she added. “They're obviously a fantastic team and they've been playing really well.

“Everyone knew it was going to be a really tough game and we had to put in a great performance to get a result.

“It was just a typical physical battle and I think that Scotland had a lot of possession, but we were really confident in our defending.

“We trained there (Hampden Park) the day before, so it was great to be able to see the pitch.

“It was amazing to be able to play there in front of a great crowd.

“That something we talked about, denying that space, the balls in behind for Scotland because they pose such a threat with their midfield and are able to play those dangerous balls into the final third.

“While we had to defend, we had chances at the other end and, thankfully, we were able to get that goal and result.”

Brosnan was tested early on as the Scots were awarded a penalty after 14 minutes.

The 26-year-old was up against Real Madrid’s Weir and dropped low along the right side of goal to deny the hosts an early opener.

Brosnan revealed that penalty research had been a key part of her preparations leading into the match and her save perhaps settled some early nerves for herself and the squad.

“We spoke about penalties all week because the potential and the play-off to go into extra time and go into penalties.

“We were working on it all week, doing the research, and as soon as she (Weir) put the ball down, I kind of just knew that I was going to have to save it.

“I was just trying to focus on that and do what I can to help the team and fulfil my role.

“That's something I talk about a lot with Ireland. Whether it's making one save or 10 saves, whether it's a penalty, just doing what I can to help the team get the win.

“It would have been a different type of game if they were able to score that early on.

“I think it was saving the penalty that took the weight off the shoulders and said, ‘alright, we're in this’ so that was great.”

While Brosnan had played for her country at youth level, the Everton goalkeeper made her senior debut just over two years ago in an away win in Montenegro in March 2020.

The progress made by her and Ireland since then has been significant, but the dream of qualifying for a major tournament was very much alive from day one for Brosnan.

“We had the massive heartache last year with the qualifications for the Euros with the result away in Ukraine,” she added.

“We've been there as a squad and been at a low point and I think going into this campaign we just kind of grew and showed that maturity and that we weren't going to let that happen again.

“We wanted things to go in the right direction for us this time, to be able to qualify. It's learning from the past and that's definitely something that me personally and as a squad we've been dreaming of, for sure.

“Now that it’s happened, it's got to be the number one moment of my career, without a doubt.

“I think if you talk to anybody playing professional sports, getting to a World Cup is like the pinnacle, everyone dreams of qualifying for a major tournament.

“To be able to do that, as I said, it's really hard to put into words how much it means to me.

“I don't think that's a feeling that I'll ever forget.”

The Blues keeper was in attendance at the European Championships last summer, supporting several of her Club teammates.

With a taste of what the atmosphere can be like at a major tournament, she says she cannot wait to be one of the players on the receiving end.

“I've never been to Australia or New Zealand,” Brosnan revealed. “I’m looking forward to it.

“It was amazing this summer to see how big the Euros were and the support from the fans.

“The Irish fans are up there with the best in the world, so it's going to be absolutely amazing to just have the nation behind us like they have been behind during this campaign and to be able to get them along to a major tournament.”

Now back on Merseyside, it’s a quick turnaround for the Everton star who begins preparations for this weekend’s match against Chelsea.

She hopes the high of her international success can elevate her game against the reigning league champions.

“I think you can take the form from the international break and I obviously hope to bring that back into the club and keep putting in those performances.

“I’m looking forward to Sunday. It’ll be a tough test against Chelsea, but obviously something that we as a squad are really looking forward to and coming off two wins in the league, it will be nice to get back with the girls and have a great game.

“You know the quality that Chelsea has, so I think it's a big game.

“We need to prepare well for it and as a squad we'll definitely be up for it and looking forward to the challenge.”