France 2 Rep of Ireland 0: How the Irish players rated as Euro 2024 hopes take another blow

1: Gavin Bazunu (Southampton)

Couldn’t be faulted for Tchouameni’s sumptuous strike in the first half or Thurman’s close-range effort in the second. Made some decent stops. His long-range distribution didn’t always find a target. Rating: 6

8: Alan Browne (Preston North End)

Handed the task of playing right wing back against Mbappe, Browne didn’t shirk the challenge. Made an outstanding sliding tackle to thwart him in the first half though France did have more joy down that wing after the break. Rating: 6

12: Nathan Collins (Brentford)

Will be disappointed not to have made a more effective clearing header from Dembele’s cross that led to France’s opening goal. Made a good block from Griezmann late on and got his body in the way of shots. Rating: 6

4: Shane Duffy (Norwich City)

Favoured ahead of Dara O’Shea, it was hoped Duffy’s defensive presence would curtail Giroud, who went off injured early on. Couldn’t get on the end of any attacking set pieces but was physical at the back. Rating: 6

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5: John Egan (Sheffield United)

The Ireland captain worked tirelessly at marshalling the defence. Got across early in the second half to block the initial shot from Mbappe but the rebound fell to Thurman for France’s second goal. Rating: 6

3: Enda Stevens (Stoke City)

In trouble from Dembele down the left flank throughout the first half and was taken off at half-time, a combination of injury and the difficulties he was having on the field. Rating: 4

6: Josh Cullen (Burnley)

France were dominant around the middle of the field, particularly in the second half as the home side completely controlled the match. Cullen worked hard but couldn’t influence the game. Rating: 5

14: Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion)

Showed some good aggression around the middle early on but the Ireland midfield was unable to get a foothold or orchestrate consistent attacking plays. Replaced during the second half. Rating: 5

17: Jason Knight (Bristol City)

Gave away possession with a sloppy pass midway through the first half but showed admirable desire to chase back and make amends. Got through a lot of defensive work and tried to get forward when possible. Rating: 5

20: Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton Town)

Ireland’s most adventurous and industrious player, his pace caused France problems. Won a free in the opening minute and displayed more positivity when he skinned Rabiot down the left. End product wasn’t always there, though. Rating: 7

9: Adam Idah (Norwich City)

Had the thankless task of being a one-man attacking option against a stoic French defence. Idah did offer some good hold-up play but the Norwich man wasn’t a scoring threat. Rating: 5

Bench

James McClean did make an impact on proceedings but if you want to know about Stephen Kenny’s luck, Will Keane suffering an injury just moments after coming on just about sums it up. Rating: 5

Manager

The challenge in Paris was always going to be significant for Stephen Kenny. Opted to leave Dara O’Shea out of the starting team. Could have acted earlier in hooking Enda Stevens. Rating: 5