Gary Connaughton reporting from the Aviva Stadium
Ireland 0-2 Greece
On a night where Ireland hoped to show some sort of their life in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, they instead produced a performance that suggested they were a team lacking both direction and purpose.
The showing against Greece was very much the one of a side who had little to play for. Perhaps that includes the future of their manager, with Stephen Kenny looking increasingly like a coach who is coming towards the end of his tenure after yet another shocking performance.
If the game in Athens in June was the beginning of the end for him as Ireland manager, the reverse fixture might have sealed his fate for good.
Here's how we rated the performances on the night.
Ireland Player Ratings vs Greece
Gavin Bazunu - 6
Bazunu had very little to do in the first half in terms of shot-stopping in the first half houfr with the goalkeeper having no chance with the Greek opener. He would then go on to produce a brilliant save in the 37th minute to keep the deficit at just one goal.
Unfortunately, he could not stop a second from following a few minutes later.
Matt Doherty - 4
Doherty was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty after tangling with a Greek player in the Irish box. He linked up well with Ogbene down the right flank at times, although his final ball completely deserted him in dangerous areas far too often.
He also didn't cover himself in glory with his defending for the Greece second goal. His lack of impact continued in the second half, with the Wolves man looking very much like a player who has lacked minutes this season.
Nathan Collins - 6
Collins was reasonably solid in the opening half despite the concession of two goals, although he was well beaten in the air by the Greek forward for the opener.
Surprisingly replaced at halftime.
Shane Duffy - 6
Shane Duffy was solid in the first half, also looking vastly improved on the ball in comparison to the game against the Dutch last month.
On a night where the team lacked attacking threat, he did provide it on occasion in the opposition box.
Liam Scales - 5
Making his international debut on the left of a back four, Scales looked a little nervy on the ball early on. In fairness to him, that did dissipate as he grew into the game. He was caught out at the back on a couple of occasions, most notably for the second Greece goal.
He moved to centre back for the second half and looked fairly composed when playing the ball out from the back, albeit against a Greek team that were happy to sit back.
Alan Browne - 4
Alan Browne failed to impose himself on the game for much of the opening half, not offering a huge amount in possession. Off the ball, his tackling was rash and led to large spaces opening up in the middle of the pitch on a couple of occasions.
This continued after the interval, where Browne rarely offered an option as Ireland attempted to play through the middle third. He needs to bring far more to the side to justify his inclusion.
Josh Cullen - 6
Cullen played some decent forward passes over the course of the first half, playing okay in the holding role. With most of the Greek play coming down the two flanks, he blocked much of the space in central areas out of possession.
He did alright on a night the team badly struggled.
Will Smallbone - 6
Came very close to opening the scoring inside five minutes, with his effort from the edge of the box well saved by the Greek goalkeeper. Smallbone showed some nice touches at times, producing some eye-catching first time layoffs to teammates.
The Southampton man was arguably the most creative player in the side on the night, even if that had little impact on the final result. It was strange to see him taken off with 20 minutes to go.
Chiedozie Ogbene - 7
Ogbene looked dangerous whenever Ireland went on the attack, although he also had plenty to do on the other side of the ball as he was given the task of tracking Kostas Tsimikas. He gave the Grrece man plenty of problems, abut he was also beaten out wide by the Liverpool player in the buildup to the opening goal.
He was the only Irish player to bring any sort of attacking intent in the first half. He was quieter in the second half as Greece sat back to defend their lead, but was still the best player in green on the night.
Jason Knight - 5
Knight was full of energy in the early stages, although he did lack composure on the ball on more than one occasion. Playing out wide, he needed to bring a bit more attacking impetus.
You cannot doubt the Bristol City man's energy, but he needs to improve on possession if he is to play in forward areas on a consistent basis.
Evan Ferguson - 5
Ferguson produced a moment of brilliance inside the opening five minutes, getting the ball out from his feet and hitting a wicked long range strike that clipped the outside of the post. Outside of that, he was fairly quiet.
He showed some excellent movement up front in the first half, but was rarely picked out by his teammates. The 18-year old perhaps tried to do a little too much at times, something that was understandable considering the situation.
Substitutes
Ryan Manning - 6
Coming on at halftime for Nathan Collins, Manning showed some attacking initiative down the left after being introduced.
Mikey Johnston - 6
Showed some decent attacking intent with his dribbling after being introduced for the final 20 minutes.
Callum Robinson - 5
Outside of one effort that whistled past the post, did not make much of an impact.
Adam Idah - N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
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