Soccer

Denmark 0 Ireland 0: Irish player ratings

Handing out the marks as a fourth game went by without a goal for O’Neill’s men

Ireland’s Shane Duffy, Enda Stevens, Jeff Hendrick and Kevin Long leave the pitch at half time during the Nations League draw with Denmark. Photo: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Ruaidhrí Croke's face
Ruaidhrí Croke
Mon Nov 19 2018 - 21:56

23 Darren Randolph

Had very little to do in the first half due to Ireland's wall of 10 men on the edge of his box but, when he was called on just before half-time, he made a good full stretch save from Ankersen. That was the one and only time he was really forced into action and he responded well. Rating: 7.

2 Séamus Coleman

Found himself on the edge of the six-yard box as the ball bobbled through for a first half chance which he possibly could have thrown his left foot at but he didn't react quick enough. Also made one of Ireland's only second half attacks when he got down the right but there was only one man to aim at in the box. Rating: 6.

20 Richard Keogh

Got lucky when a misjudged touch in the box almost gifted Denmark a chance but he managed to sort his feet in time to pass it back to Randolph. In the second half he wasn't as lucky when he fell over under very little pressure, allowing Joergensen to go through on goal but his effort hit the post, letting Keogh off the hook again. Rating: 4.

Denmark’s Yussuf Poulsen has a shot blocked by Richard Keogh. Photo: Bo Amstrup/Getty Images

4 Shane Duffy

Denmark's hard pressing forced him into a poor pass in the first half which gave the home side possession and Ireland were lucky the through ball didn't find its man. Gave away a free kick a few minutes later but also managed to get in a few good blocks from Danish efforts. Rating: 6.

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21 Kevin Long

The burly Burnley man offers a good strong presence at the back and he was quick to stop a number of Danish attacks. Looks to be a solid centre-back option and also looks comfortable playing in a back three. Rating: 6.

12 Enda Stevens

Made some good forays down the left wing early on but the ultra-defensive performance from Ireland stopped him from showing off his attacking ability. Was restricted to mainly pumping balls up the left wing towards O'Brien. Rating: 6.

3 Cyrus Christie

Was robbed of possession twice in the first half and looked a little lost in his midfield role despite playing there before. Looked a lot better when he got the ball in wide areas and was able to go at the Danes, relieving some pressure on his back four. Rating: 7.

10 Robbie Brady

Decided to shoot with first free-kick from the right wing when Duffy's head should really have been the target. Saw very little of the ball as Ireland camped in their own defensive third before being replaced by Callum Robinson in the second half. Rating: 6.

13 Jeff Hendrick

Played most of the game quite deep due to the huge quantities of possession that Denmark enjoyed. That meant he struggled to get up into the attacking areas and create anything. The complete and utter lack of angles for forward passes meant he could do very little when in possession. Rating: 6.

8 Callum O’Dowda

Offered very little outlet between the lines as he was supposed to do with Hendrick and Christie struggling to find any angle for a pass. Largely anonymous throughout and never showed any of the creative spark which we have seen in the past. Was replaced in the second half by Obafemi. Rating: 5.

9 Aiden O’Brien

Found some good pockets of space up front but ultimately lacked support on many occasions. Could be heard shouting for team-mates to get up and help as he remained isolated but Ireland just dropped deeper and deeper. Rating: 6.

Bench

Ronan Curtis and Callum Robinson both offered a bit more pace in attack and were certainly positive introductions, giving Ireland a bit more time in the Danish half at least. Michael Obafemi's introduction, and therefore his tying down to Ireland, could be a positive for the future but, at 18 years old, that remains to be seen. Rating: 7.

Michael Obafemi makes his debut. Photo: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Manager

Started a dead-rubber match with six defenders in the starting 11 when it may have presented a chance to give some youngsters a chance and to employ some more attacking tactics. No doubting it's a poor group of players but largely sticking with a losing formula only adds to the stale feeling around the team. Rating: 5.