This was supposed to be the start of a promising new campaign for Ireland, but after 90 disastrous minutes in Armenia, much of the momentum built over the last 12 months has been lost.

It was a very poor performance from Stephen Kenny's side in the 1-0 defeat, failing to mount much of an attacking threat in Yerevan. Once again, they struggled against a side who put men behind the ball.

Here's how we rated the performances on the day.

Ireland Player Ratings vs Armenia

Caoimhín Kelleher - 6

Produced a smart save early on after a snap shot from outside the box, the only time Armenia came close to threatening the Irish goal in the first half.

However, there was nothing he could do to stop the Armenian goal.

Nathan Collins - 7

Pushed incredibly high up the right flank, quickly snuffing out a number of potential counterattacks early in the game. He showed a remarkable calmness on the ball, skipping by opposition attackers at times before playing some lovely passes.

Collins almost opened the scoring on the hour mark, but his header from Coleman's corner was straight at the Armenian goalkeeper. He was probably Ireland's best defender on the night.

Shane Duffy - 6

Wasn't asked many questions defensively in the first half, although he would make a vital intervention to stop an excellent Armenian chance just after the interval.

Duffy was solid at the back, although he did have a few wayward passes throughout the game.

John Egan - 6

Egan perhaps would have hoped to carry the ball into the midfield a bit more in the opening 45 minutes.

He didn't have a whole lot of defending to do despite the result.

Seamus Coleman - 5

Coleman attempted to give Ireland an attacking outlet down the right flank early on, but Coleman never really got involved in the general play.

Along with Hendrick, he should have done far more to close down the shot for the Armenian goal.

Enda Stevens - 5

Looked to get forward as often as possible, although his passing did let him down on occasion when he got the ball in dangerous positions.

Stevens certainly would have hoped to contribute more in attack than he did during his 72 minutes on the pitch.

Jeff Hendrick - 5

Played a number of incisive passes in behind early on, creating a couple of scoring opportunities in the process. He certainly looked to get on the ball, although he did lack a bit of energy in the middle third.

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His pace of play dropped off to a frightening degree in the second half, rarely putting in a challenge as Armenia launched their counterattacks from the back. This included for the goal, where he let the Armenian goalscorer shoot from range without putting any pressure on.

Josh Cullen - 5

Cullen didn't have much to do in terms of defensive work in the first half, but his passing was not quite as crisp as we have become accustomed to seeing in the opening half.

Like Hendrick, he seemed to lack a bit of energy. That is very unlike him, although the heat likely played a part.

Chiedozie Ogbene - 7

Looked dangerous right from the off, with the Armenian defence clearly unsettled by his pace. Had a golden opportunity to give Ireland the lead late in the first half, but he looped the ball over the bar from a free header.

He found space a bit hard to come by in the second half, with his influence waining as a result. To his credit, he looked like Ireland's only real threat as they chased the game late on.

Callum Robinson - 6

Had a half chance to put Ireland ahead early on but his effort could only find the side netting, while his shot from inside the area a few minutes later was cleared off the line.

Robinson could have had an assist late in the first half after the Armenian goalkeeper was caught in no man's land, although he was slow to give the pass to Ogbene and the chance was gone.

He did look like Ireland's biggest goal threat in the moments before he was substituted and it was a surprise to see him taken off.

Troy Parrott - 6

Was a constant threat with his dribbling ability, putting together a couple of impressive mazy runs in the opening half. However, he couldn't really get involved in the play in and around the penalty area.

In fairness to Parrott, he was one of the few players in the Ireland team that injected a bit of energy into the performance. Replaced by Obafemi after 65 minutes.

Substitutes

Michael Obafemi - 5

On for his first Ireland cap since November 2018, Obafemi failed to make much of an impact after coming on. His touch let him down on a couple of occasions, including on the Armenia goal. However, he certainly didn't get much service.

Jason Knight - 5

Brought on in the final 15 minutes in order to inject some energy into the side, he didn't really manage to do so.

James McClean - 5

McClean did not shirk responsibility after coming on and did inject a bit of energy down the left flank, although his deliveries were well short of the standard required.