Friday, March 25, 2016

DARREN RANDOLPH - Had little to do as he was well protected by his central defenders, but pulled off a smart 35th-minute save to keep out Granit Xhaka's deflected shot - 7

SEAMUS COLEMAN (Capt) - Found himself up against it defensively as the Swiss frontline passed and moved fluently, but was prominent going forward and provided the cross from which Shane long hit the bar - 6

SHANE DUFFY - Solid at the back and a threat from set-pieces, it was he who provided the assist for Ciaran Clark's goal – 7

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CIARAN CLARK - Like Duffy, commanding in defence and dangerous in the opposition penalty area and got his reward with a second international goal - 8

ROBBIE BRADY - As productive as ever from set-pieces, but found the defensive duties of the left-back role more of a challenge - 6

ALAN JUDGE - Struggled to get into the game as he swapped wings with McGeady before the break, but headed just wide from a 43rd-minute Brady corner – 5

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DAVID MEYLER (O'Kane, 61 mins) - Industrious in the middle of the pitch as he worked to cover his central defenders and drive the team forward - 6

STEPHEN QUINN (McCarthy, 61 mins) - Combined well with Meyler in the middle in an effort to keep Ireland moving forward - 7

AIDEN McGEADY (Hayes, 61 mins) - Started brightly and caused significant early problems for the Swiss, but faded badly – 5

Aiden MCGeady with Michael Lang of Switzerland. Photo: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

SHANE LONG (McClean, 84 mins) - A real handful for the Switzerland defence, who struggled to contain him both in the air and on the floor, and he was denied a 15th goal for his country by the crossbar - 7

KEVIN DOYLE (Murphy, 27 mins) - Might have scored with a cheeky 11th-minute back-heel, but left the pitch in agony on a stretcher just 16 minutes later after being hurt in a challenge with Norwich defender Timm Klose – 6

Substitutes:

DARYL MURPHY - Worked hard to support Long before himself being replaced – 6

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JONNY HAYES - Struggled to get involved as the rhythm of the game was interrupted by substitutions - 5

EUNAN O'KANE - Tried to exploit the space behind the Swiss defence as the game opened up and fired just wide late on - 6

JAMES McCARTHY - As tidy as usual in the middle of the field as the game became increasingly stretched – 6

Shani Tarashaj, Switzerland, in action against James McCarthy, Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. Photo: Paul Mohan / SPORTSFILE

WES HOOLAHAN - Had little time in which to work his magic, although his vision helped to limit Switzerland as they tried to find a way back into the game - 6

JAMES McCLEAN - His pace provided an outlet with the visitors taking chances, but his involvement was fleeting - 6

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