It was a night to forget for Ireland tonight, leaving us in a position where we need to beat Russia on Tuesday. Here’s how the players rated.
Shay Given
Was a busy man all night and dealt with the pressure well, especially after responding quickly to an audacious attempt by Hamsik. Had his bizarre giveaway of a free kick (where he dropped the ball and caught it in the box after two bounces) resulted in a goal, however, we mightn’t have been so generous in our praise. Rating: 6
John O’Shea
A shocker from O’Shea, who is already looking like a Sunderland defender, even when he’s playing in a green shirt. Luckily for John however, there was plenty of other contenders for the worst performance tonight. Rating: 4
Richard Dunne
Dunne’s lack of pace was a factor in quite a few Slovakian chances, while he needlessly earned himself a yellow card after remonstrating with the referee in the second half. Rating: 5
Sean St Ledger
Made a few mistakes in the first half but kept Ireland in the game for many sustained periods of Slovakian pressure. Had plenty of work to do while Dunne’s lack of pace has caught out and had to sweep up afterwards. Rating: 7
Stephen Ward
Ward started brightly in his competitive debut for Ireland but faded in the second half. Should be happy enough with his efforts and on the bright side, at least he’s not Kevin Kilbane. Rating: 6
Damien Duff
Responsible for two of Ireland’s best chances on the night, Duff had a great goalscoring opportunity in the first half and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Robbie Keane later on in the game. Ran his heart out and was eager to attack whenever the ball came to him. Rating: 8
Glenn Whelan
Ineffectual and anonymous, Whelan’s contribution was a microcosm of Ireland’s combined efforts tonight. Rating: 4
Keith Andrews
Not a night to remember from Keith. Wasteful on quite a few occasions and one of the main reasons Ireland were frequently opened up threw the middle of the park. Wasn’t his fault, however, that Cox didn’t pass to him for a huge chance later on or that he should’ve won us a penalty when he was manhandled in the Slovakian box. Rating: 4
Aiden McGeady
No end product tonight whatsoever. A few eye-catching moves to get past defenders but when lacked the precision needed for his final touch. Substituted for Hunt and could have no argument. Rating: 5
Robbie Keane
Slovakian defenders are evidently a lot stronger than their counterparts in the MLS, as Robbie didn’t have a sniff of the ball for much of the game. Botched a tricky overhead attempt in the first half but should’ve took the lead with a stunning headed miss in the second. Rating: 5
Kevin Doyle
A player who most fans had to watch tonight through their hands, Doyle came perilously close to conceding a yellow card on numerous occasions, which would have ruled him out of the vital clash at Moscow next week. Over exuberant at times, Doyle didn’t create much of an impression and was wisely subbed by Cox after 63 mins. Rating: 6
Subs:
Simon Cox
With Doyle committing so many fouls, he was a necessary substitution but in the end, Cox contributed little, aside from fluffing arguably the best chance Ireland had later on when he didn’t pass to an unmarked Andrews in the box. Rating: 4
Stephen Hunt
Was lively and gave the crowd and side a real boost when he came on but didn’t have enough time to truly make his mark on the match. Rating: 6
What did you think of the performance at the Aviva? Have your say below – you can now comment using your Facebook or Twitter account.
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