The liberating feeling of two goals after a famine - yet it brought redemption for Aleksander Mitrovic and only more frustration for Stephen Kenny.
Prior to last night, Mitrovic hadn't scored since mid-October for his country and last hit the back of the net for his club, Fulham, in September.
It took him 13 minutes off the bench to win this opening World Cup qualifier in Belgrade, exquisite redemption for the 26-year-old after his missed penalty in the November shoot-out cost his country a place in the European finals.
The 26-year-old spotted the inexperienced Mark Travers off his line after a quick-fire move with the ever-dangerous Dusan Vlahovic, one of Serie A's top strikers, and the superb Dusan Tadic.
The finish was perfect. Having had his place in the squad questioned, suddenly Mitrovic was unshackled and he killed this contest in the 75th minute with a pinpoint header from Tadic's pass.
Make no mistake, this was always going to be a tough ask for Stephen Kenny's Ireland, even without the by now expected raft of absentees.
So it proved, despite Ireland's own moment of goalmouth liberation when Callum Robinson stood up a cross to the back post and Alan Browne headed into the far corner for the lead in the 18th minute.
And, at last, a goal some 678 minutes since Shane Duffy's last-gasp equaliser in Bulgaria last September. With it came a surge of belief as Josh Cullen played like a man possessed in the middle of the park.
But Tadic, the best player on view, gradually picked away at what was a fragile confidence built against a backdrop of eight games without a win for the new regime.
Seamus Coleman had started the move for the goal and, in a team peppered with Kenny's newbies and playing a novel 3-5-2 formation, it was important that the 32-year-old played a captain's part.
To no-one's surprise, he did. His calm reading of the game and at times tenacious tackling was a reminder of what Ireland have missed over the previous 10 games.
It was also no surprise that the visitors refused to give up the ghost in the final stages. Veterans Robbie Brady and Shane Long chased a lost cause and James Collins scrambled home.
Cue the desperation of four minutes of injury time but the third goal proved out of reach, and Ireland are already chasing on the road to Qatar, despite a promising display.
