Gary Connaughton reporting from the Aviva Stadium
On a night when Ireland began their post-Kenny era, there was not a whole lot for the crowd of to shout about at the Aviva Stadium as John O'Shea's men secured a 0-0 draw with Belgium.
It was a game that very much had the feel of a mid-season friendly, with neither side playing at a breakneck speed in an attempt to secure the victory. Outside of a missed penalty and one big chance for the visitors in the second half, there were not many incidents of note across the 90 minutes.
A draw against the fourth ranked side in the world is nothing to be sniffed at, although this was a Belgian side missing quite a few of their first choice players.
Here's how we rated the performances on the night.
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Republic of Ireland players ratings vs Belgium
Caoimhín Kelleher - 7
Given the opportunity to impress after his recent strong run of form at club level, Kelleher exuded confidence whenever he had the ball at his feet.
He didn't have a save of note to make in the first half, although he would make one brilliant save in the second half to keep his team level.
Andrew Omobamidele - 6
Omobamidele was caught out in behind on a couple of occasions, struggling to deal with the movement of Lois Openda at times.
The centre back did look composed on the ball and stepped into midfield well when given the chance.
Nathan Collins - 7
Collins was the one tasked with organising the back five out of possession, something he did well in the opening half. He made a couple of vital interventions to cut out dangerous Belgium attacks as well.
The Brentford man was very strong in the air throughout the 90 minutes and turned in a solid performance.
Dara O'Shea - 7
Given the tricky task of keeping Johan Bakayoko quiet, O'Shea defended brilliantly in the first half.
He did not have quite as much to do after the interval, with the majority of the Belgian attacks coming down the opposite flank.
Seamus Coleman - 8
Coleman showed a willingness to get forward in the first half and likely would have had a goal if Ogbene got his head up to play a simply squared ball inside the opening five minutes.
The Everton man was asked more defensive questions after the introduction of Jeremy Doku at halftime, something he dealt with brilliantly against a player of real quality.
One or two wayward touches aside, it was an excellent performance from a player who seems to raise the levels of the team whenever he is on the pitch. At 35-years old, he is still an invaluable contributor in this Irish side.
Josh Cullen - 7
Cullen struggled to get on the ball as Ireland played out from the back in the opening period. In saying that, his defensive work was important in limiting attacking opportunities for the Belgians.
The Burnley man was more involved after the interval, especially in the opposition half where he played some crisp passes.
Will Smallbone - 6
Smallbone did not have as much influence on the ball as he would have hoped for in the first half, although he did plenty of good work out of possession to break up Belgian attacks.
He did play some nice passes at times in the second half.
Robbie Brady - 7
Brady looked very tidy on the ball early on, playing out from the back in some tight spaces at times. He also defended well when called upon.
He put in a few lovely deliveries into the box, both from set-pieces and open play. It was one of his better Ireland performances in recent seasons.
Sammie Szmodics - 7
Making his long awaited Ireland debut, Szmodics looked very lively in the opening exchanges. He showed some lovely touches at times, although the Belgium defence largely had him well marshalled as Ireland often moved the ball at a very slow pace.
He attempted to get the team playing with a quicker pace whenever he did get in possession, playing some wonderful passes at times. He had produced the best performance out of the starting front three.
A promising start to his international career, although we would prefer to see him start in a central area of the pitch.
Chiedozie Ogbene - 6
Ogbene squandered a golden chance in the opening few minutes, going for goal himself and missing when a simple pass to Seamus Coleman would have left the Ireland captain with a tap-in.
He showed some running intent when given the opportunity, although Belgium rarely offered up the chance to counterattack. The winger did come alive in the closing stages of the game
Evan Ferguson - 5
Despite showing some good movement at times, it was a relatively quiet first half from Evan Ferguson. His penalty just before the half hour mark was a poor one.
The teenager had a couple of half chances from headers early in the second half, although both attempts would go over the bar. Ferguson looked as though he was trying too hard to make things happen at times, with a couple of nice flick-ons for teammates his main contribution.
Substitutes
Jason Knight - 6
One of three players to come on for the final 20 minutes, Knight worked struggled to get involved on the ball.
Mikey Johnston - 5
Had no impact on the game after coming on.
Adam Idah - 7
Idah showed some nice touches after coming on, launching a couple of promising Irish attacks in the closing stages.
Matt Doherty & Festy Ebosele - N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
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