Advertisement
The Ireland team stand for The National Anthem today. Donall Farmer/INPHO
Assessment

Player ratings: How the Boys in Green fared against Turkey

Martin O’Neill’s men were beaten 2-1 in today’s end-of-season friendly.

Rob Elliot — 5: Called upon to make a straightforward save just 24 seconds into his senior international debut. Conceded two, but it would be overly harsh to fault him for either.

Seamus Coleman — 6: A quiet night by his standards and didn’t get down the line as often as he would have liked. Still, always wanted possession and tried to impose himself on the game as Ireland chased an equaliser.

John O’Shea — 7: His usual solid self. Dominant in the air and made sure that Turkey’s man up front was feeding off scraps for most of the game.

Damien Delaney — 5:  Okay defensively but often looked panicked on the ball and gave away possession too cheaply from the back. Subbed for Meyler shortly after the hour mark.

Stephen Ward — 5: Majority of Ireland’s attacks came down his side and though he had the right intention, was let down by poor execution on more than one occasion.

Marc Wilson — 6: Tried out alongside Whelan in midfield but looked more comfortable when he reverted to centre half for the final quarter.

Glenn Whelan — 5:  Grafted hard as usual and closed Turkey well, but never controlled Ireland’s possession in the absence of James McCarthy.

Aiden McGeady — 7: Along with Hoolahan, Ireland’s best performer of the night. A lively threat to both Turkish full backs and his deliveries were more consistent than they have been in the past.

James McClean — 6: Got himself into some good attacking positions and was unlucky not to score in the first half, drawing a sharp save from Kivrak.

Wes Hoolahan — 8: Named Ireland’s man of the match and it would be hard to argue against. Sparked the majority of attacks with clever passes and showed again how valuable his creativity can be to this side.

Shane Long — 6: Had to feed off scraps for the most part. Will know he should have scored with a golden opportunity while the game was still 0-0.

Substitutes

David Meyler (for Delaney 66) — 6: Immediately added a bit more positive momentum.

Jon Walters (for McGeady 66) — 7: Came off the bench like a man determined to make a point and put in a good shift for his 25 minutes. Took his goal brilliantly.

Daryl Murphy (for Long 66) — 6: Had one good chance from a McGeady cross but his header was too close to Kivrak.

Stephen Quinn (for Whelan 82): Not on long enough to rate.

As it happened: Ireland v Turkey, international friendly>

Check out all the goals as Ireland are thwarted by Turkey>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
10
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.