SATURDAY NIGHT was yet another bitterly disappointing night for Irish football.
We suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against Luxembourg, and are now rock bottom of our World Cup qualifying group.
While a draw would have been a poor result, to lose the game means qualification for the tournament is basically impossible after just two games.
Here are our player ratings:
Gavin Bazunu - 9
It is absolutely cruel that young Gavin Bazunu did not get the clean sheet he deserved on his debut. He pulled off a worldie of a save and looked extremely confident in goal. We'll be seeing a lot more of him.
Seamus Coleman - 6
Our captain gave his all, as he always does, but it wasn't nearly enough on this occasion.
Ciaran Clark - 5
Clark played some decent forward passes in the first half, and stepped out of defence well on occasion, but to no avail.
Dara O'Shea - 5
The young lad will probably be a part of Ireland's defence for years to come, and didn't do anything particularly wrong all night. But 5 is the most we could give him here.
Enda Stevens - 5
Similarly to a lot of the lads on the pitch, Stevens did well when he had the ball, but quite simply put, he didn't get enough of it.
Matt Doherty - 4
Doherty went down injured after 10 minutes, and stayed on until half-time, offering very little in the process. He clearly wasn't right and should have gone off when he first went down.
Josh Cullen - 6
Cullen will be a part of Ireland's midfield for a long time we'd imagine, but he won't be too pleased with his performance on Saturday.
Jason Knight - 7
Knight showed some great energy and got around the pitch very well, but crunching tackles and fine interceptions were not enough on the night.
Alan Browne - 5
Browne was on the pitch to be a creative force, and did not create any clear cut chances. A disappointing night for him.
Callum Robinson - 5
Put a chance on a plate for Collins after some beautiful team football, but other than that really didn't do enough.
James Collins - 4
He put himself about and carved out an acrobatic chance for himself in the second half, but he really should have done better from point blank range in the first half. It would be a surprise to ever see Collins start for Ireland again.
Robbie Brady deserves a shout out for his impressive performance after coming on at half-time.
See More: International Football, World Cup 2022
