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Player ratings following Ireland’s win against Azerbaijan

by Rudi Kinsella
Ireland player ratings

A big win for Ireland out in Azerbaijan.

Ireland defeated Azerbaijan 3-0 out in Baku on Saturday evening, thanks to two lovely Callum Robinson goals in the first-half, and a late Chiedozie Ogbene header.

Stephen Kenny will be delighted to get his first competitive win, and a much-needed confidence boost for his side.

Here are our player ratings from the evening:

Gavin Bazunu – 7 

Some gorgeous saves and brilliant distribution at times, but he himself will know that he got lucky with one shot in particular in the second half where the ball bounced off his wrist and onto the crossbar.

Matt Doherty – 6

As is often the case, the Spurs’ player showed his class on a number of occasions, and sometimes looked a level above the rest, but he didn’t do it enough.

John Egan – 7 

The captain led his defence very well all night, and while Azerbaijan did create quite a few chances that the defence should have been more awake for, Egan didn’t put a foot wrong.

Shane Duffy – 6

A slightly lower rating than his two central defensive partners, purely because he really should have scored to put the game out of sight.

Given the ability he has with his head, he will be disappointed but otherwise he did his job as always.

Andrew Omobamidele – 7

Another solid display from the 19-year-old, who will surely be in line to play in this position for years to come.

James McClean – 8

A really impressive performance from the wing back, which was nearly capped off with what would have been an incredible goal after a lung-busting run.

Many questioned why Enda Stevens didn’t play, but Kenny was proven right with this one.

Josh Cullen – 6

A solid shift from the Anderlecht midfielder, where it’s hard to pinpoint any particular moment where he put a foot wrong.

However, there were times when the home team played through us a little bit too easily, which could be a concern for this Ireland team going forward.

Jeff Hendrick – 6

The Newcastle man didn’t do too much wrong, and didn’t too much particularly great either. He got himself around the pitch, and kept the ball well at times, without ever really threatening.

Daryl Horgan – 5

While Horgan did get the assist for Robinson’s second goal, it’s hard to remember him doing much else while on the ball.

Perhaps his minutes should be limited to coming off the bench, when he has looked really lively in the past.

Callum Robinson – 9

Of course it was Robinson that was going to grab the headlines after the week he had.

The West Brom striker could have had a hat-trick, but looked electric throughout the whole game, and scored two lovely goals.

Adam Idah – 5

Idah definitely looked like he was feeling the effects of the sickness he had during the week, as he was not his usual self.

He still showed some moments of brilliance, but didn’t hold the ball up the way he normally does.

Subs:

Jamie McGrath – 6 

The St. Mirren man was very unlucky not to start, and did really well when he was brought on at half-time. He will be knocking on the manager’s door going forward.

Chiedozie Ogbene – 7 

A lively performance from the Corkman, who definitely was a handful for the Azerbaijan defence. He got his goal in the end, and he definitely deserved it too.

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