Caoimhín Kelleher: Didn’t have to make too many spectacular saves, but was really solid and performed the basics well. Couldn’t be faulted for the goal. 7
Dara O’Shea: Looked comfortable slightly further to the right than usual. Invariably showed good composure on the ball and made the right decisions. 7
Nathan Collins: Made a really poor error for the goal and had one or two other shaky moments, but showed good character not to let his head drop. 6
Liam Scales: What a season Scales is having. Was harshly omitted from the starting XI in the last window but scored the crucial equaliser. It was just his sixth cap but looked as if he had been playing at this level for years. 8
Robbie Brady: His best performance in a green jersey for a long time. Produced a brilliant delivery for the first goal and took the second really well. His all-around game also looked as good as it had been for a long time. 8
Josh Cullen: It’s no coincidence that Ireland looked more solid and harder to break down tonight, albeit against inferior opposition to England and Greece. But Cullen put in some great tackles to break up the play and is the type of player who is only fully appreciated when he’s unavailable. 7
Jason Knight: Great energy as always. His pressing put the Finnish side under real pressure and justified his starting spot in midfield, with Jayson Molumby previously preferred to him at the start of the last window. 7
Chiedozie Ogbene: Had a couple of characteristic strong runs and had the beating of the opposition full-back, but Ireland couldn’t get him on the ball as often as they would have liked. 6
Finn Azaz: Impressed in flashes as Ireland had a couple of bright attacking moments. However, Azaz didn’t have enough of an influence on his competitive debut. It was no major surprise when he was replaced by Jamie McGrath for the final 20 minutes. 6
Sammie Szmodics: Like Azaz, did well in glimpses and was involved in some nice link-up play, but you get the sense people are still waiting for Szmodic’s international career to take flight. 6
Evan Ferguson: Had a couple of sniffs at goal and gave his all, but at times unsurprisingly lacked sharpness as he’s played very little football at club level this season. 6
Subs: All the replacements didn’t have much time to influence the play, but Festy Ebosele made a significant impact, providing the cross for the goal. 7
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