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Opinion

Here's how the Ireland players rated against Sweden tonight

Our thoughts on how the Boys in Green fared this evening.

David Forde: Had one or two nervous moments early on, most notably when he came for a cross and missed it, but recovered well and made some decent saves to boot. 7

Marc Wilson: Defended impressively and looked comfortable in possession for the most part, despite occasionally lumping it forward all too readily. 7

Ciaran Clark: One dodgy clearance to set up Larsson aside, he gave a remarkably assured performance that belied his lack of experience at this level. 7

John O’Shea: Did what he had to do well – an excellent recovery from his error-laden performance against Germany. 7

Seamus Coleman: Was lucky not to be punished after conceding possession to Ibrahimovic at one point, but apart from than one moment of uncertainty, his energy and commitment epitomised a gutsy Irish display. 7

Paul Green: Gave the ball away cheaply at times, but made up for his occasional errors in possession by showing good positional sense and no shortage of effort without the ball. 7

James McCarthy: Consistently showed intelligence and made good decisions on the ball, though his influence faded slightly as the game wore on. 7

Jonathan Walters: Despite often playing there for Stoke, he looked uncomfortable on the wing, but he still worked hard and contributed significantly to the defensive side of the game. 6

James McClean: The one Irish player who demonstrated a constant willingness to take on players. He showed excellent energy down the wing and his discipline typified the Irish side’s maturity. 7

Robbie Keane: Another whose defensive contribution outweighed his effect in attack, despite looking sharp with the ball in the early stages of the game. 6

Shane Long: Lead the attack manfully as ever, and did well to win the odd free-kick, though his influence on the game was minimal ultimately. 6

Substitutes: None of the three players introduced had much time to make an impact, but Hoolahan looked especially bright in the short time he had on the field. 6

Giovanni Trapattoni: Whatever your opinion of Trap is, there’s no denying his tactics proved effective tonight and the majority of his selections were justified. 7

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