Republic of Ireland

1.73

• 
  18

  61

  1.00

  Shay Given Flop of the Match

  Slipped at the first goal and despite saving several efforts, he was too slow to get down as Mandzukic's header struck him and found the net for the third.

• 
  28

  11

  3.00

  Sean St Ledger

  He was the quickest to react to a stunned Croatian defence when his firm header levelled the score, and was one of Ireland's better performers.

• 
  9

  25

  1.00

  Stephen Ward

  Rarely moved forward to support McGeady and his two errors sent his team in behind at half-time, with his sliced clearance gifting Jelavic a simple goal.

• 
  13

  24

  1.00

  John O'Shea

  Mostly looked for long and ambitious passes that simply didn't work for him and his team. Failed to block Perisic's cross for the third goal.

• 
  14

  18

  2.50

  Richard Dunne

  Once easily dispossessed by Perisic, but he was the calmest of the Irish back four, although he was caught ball-watching as Mandzukic scored the third.

• 
  6

  21

  1.50

  Glenn Whelan

  His passes were mostly sideways but it was the Stoke midfielder's tackling that was most suspicious on a nervous and poor night.

• 
  8

  19

  1.00

  Aiden McGeady

  He stood out with his skills but faded away desperately as Srna marked him closer and completely marked him out of the match.

• 
  10

  18

  2.00

  Keith Andrews

  He started the game well, marking Modric closely but then he failed to adapt against much more fluent Croatian midfield, and Modric eventually controlled proceedings.

• 
  12

  16

  2.00

  Damien Duff

  He kept the ball too long and did not bring others into play enough in the first half, and eventually drifted out of the contest.

• 
  12

  12

  2.00

  Kevin Doyle

  Worked his socks off during his time on the pitch, but he failed to threaten Pletikosa and was eventually replaced.

• 
  11

  23

  1.50

  Robbie Keane

  Quiet night for the LA Galaxy striker as he failed to create danger and was mostly anonymous throughout, before trudging off near the end of a dismal night.

Substitutions

• 
  15

  9

  2.50

  Jonathan Walters

  An impact sub, he ambitiously fought for each ball but never created any danger.

• 
  4

  16

  Shane Long

  Without time and chances to give the Irish team any hope.

• 
  6

  18

  1.50

  Simon Cox

  Kept up with poor standards set up by McGeady.

Croatia

2.96

• 
  58

  4

  3.00

  Stipe Pletikosa

  It was a night of claiming poor crosses and weak efforts from the Irish team for the Croatian No. 1, and he wasn't at fault for their only goal.

• 
  44

  10

  2.50

  Ivan Strinic

  Good performance as he kept Duff quiet for much of the game, blocking crosses at the right time.

• 
  52

  13

  2.50

  Vedran Corluka

  Mistake at the first goal for the Irish when he lost St Ledger but once he calmed he kept his composure and passed the ball well from the back line.

• 
  71

  3

  3.00

  Darijo Srna

  Nervous start to the game as McGeady caused him troubles but team captain's resurgence was admirable, and eventually drove his side on to victory.

• 
  42

  15

  2.00

  Gordon Schildenfeld

  One unnecessary tackle at the edge of own box could have been punished, though in the second half his performance was calm and composed.

• 
  61

  8

  2.50

  Ivan Rakitic

  Rarely involved in the first half but moved better in the second stage and almost scored with a fine effort at the end.

• 
  65

  2

  3.50

  Ognjen Vukojevic

  It took him some time to adapt playing behind Modric, but once he dropped a bit to help defenders cope with Doyle and Keane, his positioning was of the highest level.

• 
  166

  5

  4.00

  Luka Modric

  His importance in Croatia's display should never be underestimated, and his pass completion was over 90 per cent in an impressive display. The movement of the Spurs midfielder was a joy to watch.

• 
  98

  2

  3.50

  Ivan Perisic

  Very clever performance from the Bundesliga winner, as he drifted around all night from his position to create danger with his powerful shooting.

• 
  73

  2

  3.00

  Nikica Jelavic

  Rather anonymous performance, until the moment he scored his first goal for Croatia since almost two years, pouncing on a Ward error to finish neatly.

• 
  134

  2

  4.00

  Mario Mandzukic Top of the Match

  Played off Jelavic and pressed the Irish defenders relentlessly, whenever he saw a chance to steal the ball of them. Two goals a great reward for his work, though the second was somewhat fortunate.

Substitutions

• 
  27

  6

  Tomislav Dujmovic

  Replaced Rakitic in the added time.

• 
  43

  11

  2.00

  Niko Kranjcar

  Introduced at the end to play between Modrić and Mandzukic, he failed to put his mark on the game.

• 
  37

  5

  Eduardo

  Came as a late replacement for hero Perisić.