1 Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool)
Despite being left alone to face the goal, he managed to handle the situation fairly well. He simply couldn’t prevent the goal. Other than a few mild shots from Finland, he was unbothered for the rest of the match. Despite the nervousness of Irish supporters, he was unfaltering with high balls later on. Rating: 7
4 Dara O’Shea (Ipswich)
He had a productive stint as a right back, not even once relenting to Galvez, who persistently charged at him. His firm stance made Ogbene and Azaz feel less pressure to fall back defensively. Rating: 7
22 Nathan Collins (Brentford)
Despite being a staple in the Premier League, he is known for making blunders occasionally. His dreadful error in the opening drained Ireland’s morale. Striving to rectify his mistake, he almost set Ferguson up for an unjustly blocked equalising score. For the remainder of the game, he was reliable enough. Rating: 5
3 Liam Scales (Celtic)
His experience in the Champions League was evident. He handled the ball skillfully and distributed some fantastic passes from the back to midfield. He was impeccable on the defence, and escalated his performance by scoring the cardinal goal. Rating: 8
6 Josh Cullen (Burnley)
As usual, he maintained the team rhythm but struggled to make an impact in offensive play. However, he succeeded in disrupting Finland’s game here and there. His presence was quite missed in the matches against England and Greece. Rating: 7
11 Robbie Brady (Preston)
Whilst seeming aimless with the ball during the initial half, he rallied in the latter half. He skillfully assisted Scales goal and later marked his own at the back post, securing the victory. His leadership was crucial as a seasoned player. Rating: 8
20 Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich)
Started quietly in the first half but improved considerably in the second, frequently pushing forward with the ball on the right, putting pressure on Galvez and Stahl. He completely exhausted himself before Ebosele took his position for the last quarter with a significant impact. Rating: 7
7 Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich)
When he joined in, he was always a vibrant and positive player. He had a partial opportunity at the beginning of the second half, but a fast header from Scales was too much for him to handle efficiently, leaving his attempt lacking force. His performance waned as the game progressed. Score: 6
17 Jason Knight (Bristol City)
Delivered an honest and steadfast performance as always. He was unable to assert control in the first part of the match, but his game improved after half time. His early low shot put Finland goalkeeper Hradecky to the test. He policed the area in front of the defenders with confidence. Score: 7
14 Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough)
He gave brief glimpses as to why he has recently been touted as a solutions provider, but other than a few smooth plays in the second half, his game play seemed a couple leagues beneath this level. He lost possession of the ball too frequently and attempted to compensate with too many improbable passes. Score: 4
9 Evan Ferguson (Brighton)
He is still a bit off the mark in his expectations as well as his physical fitness levels. He only had a brief chance to score a few times, but his shots lacked power. We hope he will improve with time. Score: 6
Substitutes
Festy Obesele created the winning goal with some clever footwork and a delightful pass to Brady. Jamie McGrath was nowhere to be seen when Finland had a late scoring opportunity. Troy Parrott seemed confused about his part in the game. Adam Idah hardly made contact with the ball. Score: 7
Manager
No doubt, Finland’s performance played into the hands of Heimir Hallgrímsson. Despite this, it becomes tricky to pass a too severe judgement on him as this was Ireland’s first triumph after a trailing start since 2012. Observably, he made instrumental changes to the team’s attitude in the second half and his strategic substitution of Ebosele ultimately led to them clinching victory. Score: 7