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Opinion

Player ratings: How the Boys in Green fared against Wales

Check out how we assessed the Irish team on a disappointing night in Dublin.

Darren Randolph: Arguably could have done better with his positioning for the goal and was otherwise rarely seriously tested. 5

Shane Duffy: Was sloppy at the back in one or two instances, but generally didn’t do much wrong. 6

Richard Keogh: A reassuring presence in defence and couldn’t be faulted for the concession of the goal. 6

Kevin Long: Looked solid enough without being overly busy. Was replaced by Scott Hogan with 15 minutes remaining. 6

Matt Doherty: Had one gut-bursting run towards the end of the first half, but struggled to have an influence for the most part. 5

James McClean: Worked his socks off as usual, but his final product was poor. Looks a player short of confidence. 5

Cyrus Christie: Missed a good chance on 10 minutes when he probably should have taken it on rather than shooting early. That moment aside, he failed to have any real influence on the game and did little to suggest he is a viable long-term option in midfield. 4

Harry Arter: Had considerably more of the ball than at the weekend and got Ireland passing a bit in the first half, but committed a really clumsy foul for the free kick that led to the goal. 5

Jeff Hendrick: Looked much more comfortable in the deeper midfield role and produced one particularly good ball to Matt Doherty towards the end of the first half, but his influence waned as the game wore on. 6

Callum Robinson: Linked up play nicely at times in the first half, but faded out of the match as it developed and was replaced on the hour mark by Sean Maguire. 6

Aiden O’Brien: Had a thankless task but lacked the energy and presence of Shane Long, with balls up top rarely sticking. It was no real surprise when he was replaced on 56 minutes. 5

Subs: None of Shane Long, Sean Maguire and Scott Hogan had the desired impact after being introduced in the second half. 5

Martin O’Neill: His persistence with Cyrus Christie in midfield among other big calls failed to pay dividends, while the substitutions didn’t really work out as he would have hoped. Will likely come under some pressure now after a series of poor results. 4

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