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6th September 2013
10:26pm BST

Solid, as one would expect on the anniversary of his heroic Russian performance. Hard to criticise him or O'Shea for the first Swedish goal as it was a brilliant cross and a great header, and the second was the fault of Whelan, not the defence, who had smartly played Svensson offside. Extremely physical, and is an asset to the team, one of the best players in the squad. Deservedly named Man of the Match.
John O'Shea: 7
Although the team conceded two, the defence was actually pretty good. Not much either of the centre backs could do about the first, but he made some important tackles and organised the defence well.
Marc Wilson: 6
Looked comfortable on the ball, was handy with a bit of skill early on and played the odd lovely pass. He made a fantastic block on Ibra in the 15th minute to make up for being caught out on the high ball, but as the game wore on and Sweden looked more dangerous, both he and Coleman struggled to support the front line as Ireland couldn't hold on to the ball.
James McClean: 7
Got a few shots on target, but once again he can be slightly predictable in his play. He got through an incredible amount of work though, with one notable tackle at the start of the second half to stop a Swedish shot on goal, and a huge tackle in the 55th minute that brought the crowd to life. Was substituted, but no surprise as he'd run his socks off.
Glenn Whelan: 4
He was at fault for the second goal, as he didn't need to track the runner who'd gone offside, and he kept him on, which ended up costing Ireland the game. He got booked late on in the game for a poor challenge that he didn't particularly need to make, and while he does get a good bit of flack from Irish supporters, a performance like he put in tonight won't help his case. He took a few free kicks, but the less said about them the better.
James McCarthy: 5
Another game where it seemed to pass McCarthy by. The system isn't exactly set up to help a creative player flourish, but he also needs to play his part and step up, taking control of games if he's to show his talent on the national stage like he has at club level. He's still young, as his manager will be keen to point out, but he seemed to spend this match passing the ball sideways.
Jonathan Walters: 6
Playing wide on the right doesn't exactly suit his strengths but he was once again a good outlet for the high balls up front, and knocked down a fair few into productive positions. He also got through a good defensive workload from the front and is adept at holding up the play and keeping attacks going. He was substituted for Simon Cox when he looked to be totally exhausted.
Robbie Keane: 7
He scored the goal with some great determination and made a few other opportunities, but the second half was torrid for him and the rest of the team. He gets a lot of criticism but there is no arguing with his record, as he grabbed his 60th goal tonight for his country. He looked a danger, but the ball simply didn't make it far enough up the pitch tonight to allow him to get a second.
Shane Long: 5
Repeatedly made bad decisions when he got into the box, taking too long to make up his mind about what he wanted to do with the ball. His pace and bullishness created the odd opportunity, but he just made the wrong decision too often, and took an age about making it. He might have been struggling with a tight hamstring that he seemed to twinge in the first half, but he still appeared to be running well. Disappointing from a player who promises so much.
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