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Player ratings: How the Boys in Green fared against Wales

Ireland faced a crucial game in Group D at the Aviva Stadium this evening.

Darren Randolph: Was largely untroubled but did what he needed to well. 7

Seamus Coleman: Made a few important tackles in defence before his game ended prematurely following a horror tackle by Neil Taylor. 7

Richard Keogh: The absence of Ireland’s first-choice centre-backs was not noticeable, as Keogh performed solidly and helped the team to earn a deserved clean sheet. 7

John O’Shea: Marshalled the backline well and made some important interceptions. 8

Stephen Ward: One dodgy backpass to Randolph aside, looked solid without offering much attacking threat. 6

Glenn Whelan: Gave his usual committed display, but didn’t offer much on the ball. 6

David Meyler: Thrown in at the last minute for an unfit James McCarthy, Meyler did reasonably well under the circumstances, but didn’t look as composed on the ball as in Austria. 6

Jeff Hendrick: Looked less than comfortable in the central attacking role that Wes Hoolahan normally operates in, before being moved back to a more natural sitting role once Aiden McGeady came on. 6

James McClean: Offered exemplary work-rate and energy as always, putting in a crunching tackle on Bale early on. However, he’ll be disappointed that he wasn’t as potent in the final third compared with previous matches in the campaign. 7

Jon Walters: Did his bit in defence and offered decent presence up front, but rarely looked a goal threat. 6

Shane Long: Worked phenomenally hard and his pace caused Wales plenty of problems, but didn’t get many goalscoring chances. 7

Manager - Martin O’Neill: Arguably could have introduced McGeady earlier, as Ireland were disappointingly conservative in the first half particularly, but given the injuries he’s had to deal with, a point is a more than decent result. 7

Subs: Aiden McGeady didn’t have much time to make an impact, while Cyrus Christie was reasonably solid. 6

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