Ireland came dangerously close to a disastrous result away to 194th ranked Gibraltar this evening when they ran out 1-0 winners.
It's three points on the board for Mick McCarthy in his return to the sideline with Ireland - but questions loom about the performance on a blustery evening under the Rock of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar 0 Ireland 1: Ireland unconvincing as Mick McCarthy's second coming kicks off with win
Darren Randolph 7 - Made a stunning save to thwart Chipoliona just before Hendrick bagged the winner
Seamus Coleman 7 - The skipper has heavily involved throughout and linked well with Doherty in the first-half.
Shane Duffy 6 - Will have busier nights ahead but did his job and went close to connecting with an early free
Richard Keogh 6 - Played with his hand in a cast after breaking it on club duty but teamed up well with Duffy
Enda Stevens 6 - Eager to nail down the left-back berth but picked up a daft yellow for kicking the ball away
Matt Doherty 6 - Linked well with Coleman in a more advanced role and his crossing was good but forced off early in second-half
Jeff Hendrick 6 - Solid midfield performance and capped it off with Ireland’s opening goal early in the second-half
Conor Hourihane 6 - Got the nod ahead of Robbie Brady and his set-piece delivery was steady in tough conditions
James McClean 5 - Unable to get his A-game going and cut a frustrated figure before going in the book
David McGoldrick 7 - Back in the side after a long absence and linked the play and assisted the goal
Sean Maguire 5 - First competitive start and while he worked hard, very little went his way on the night.
IRELAND SUBS:
Robbie Brady for Doherty (56 mins)
Harry Arter for Maguire (72 mins)
GIBRALTAR: Goldwin; Sergeant, Annesely (Priestly 64), R Chipolina, K Chipolina; Hernandez (Pons 76), Bardon, Walker, Olivero, De Barr, Casciaro.
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (Greece) - 5
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