Northern Ireland

2.82

• 
  0

  0

  2.50

  Roy Carroll

  Was powerless to stop Azerbaijan’s opener, but otherwise had very little to do throughout the game as the away side became increasingly defensive.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Aaron Hughes

  Was guilty of some wasteful crosses, but was strong in defence and made a number of marauding runs forward as he looked to spark his side’s attacking play.

• 
  0

  0

  1.50

  Chris Baird Flop of the Match

  Tried to assert his authority in the centre of midfield, but struggled to get hold of the ball and then keep it. His passing often let him down at the crucial time before missing two glorious chances in the second half.

• 
  0

  0

  1.50

  Craig Cathcart

  Missed two great chances to level the scores and was guilty of a poor understanding alongside McAuley in the centre of defence while being unable to cope with Azerbaijan’s rare attacks.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Daniel Lafferty

  Overlapped well from left-back, but was guilty of missing some good chances of his own and being slightly wasteful at times with his crosses.

• 
  0

  0

  2.50

  Gareth McAuley

  A constant danger at set-pieces, but at times looked very uncomfortable in defence and communicating with Carroll.

• 
  0

  0

  3.50

  Shane Ferguson

  Looked lively at times and sent in some superb deliveries from set pieces with his left foot, but struggled to deliver good crosses with regularity and cut a frustrated figure by the end of the game.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Niall McGinn

  Was full of tricks as he caused some problems for the Azerbaijan defence, but was unable to make any real impact as they just about coped with his attacking threat.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Steven Davis

  Northern Ireland’s captain had some brief flashes of inspiration in midfield, but could not quite get into a good rhythm and was largely anonymous.

• 
  0

  0

  2.00

  Dean Shiels

  Showed signs of an understanding with Kyle Lafferty, but after being cautioned for diving was unable to assert his authority before being replaced by Paddy McCourt in the 54th minute.

• 
  0

  0

  3.50

  Kyle Lafferty

  Was Northern Ireland’s best attacking threat by far as he led the line alone and had some superb chances, but could not convert and was booked for simulation in the second half as his frustration became apparent.

Substitutions

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Chris Brunt

  Came on for Niall McGinn as Northern Ireland chased an equaliser but could not find the killer pass he so often finds in the Premier League.

• 
  0

  0

  4.00

  Paddy McCourt

  Brought on for Dean Shiels in the 54th minute and looked a constant threat as he came forward on a regular basis and caused Azerbaijan's defenders some problems.

• 
  0

  0

  3.50

  David Healy

  Brought on late in the game to try and find a goal and managed to score with a free kick in the 95th minute to equalise and somewhat save his side's blushes.

Azerbaijan

3.21

• 
  0

  1

  4.00

  Sälahät Ağayev

  Looked superb in goal in the face of Northern Ireland’s attacks, making some brilliant saves and showing a great deal of capability when tested with high balls.

• 
  0

  1

  3.00

  Maksim Medvedev

  A physical presence in the defence, and despite being a little hesitant at times, was not punished by the Northern Irish attackers.

• 
  0

  1

  2.50

  Ruslan Abushev

  Guilty of giving the ball away at times, but succeeding in denying Kyle Lafferty the time and space he needed while marshalling his defenders well.

• 
  0

  1

  4.00

  Rasim Ramaldanov

  The debutant looked solid and competent, showing a great attitude as he managed to keep Northern Ireland’s attackers quiet.

• 
  0

  1

  3.50

  Vladimir Levin

  Moved the ball around well in the midfield despite picking up a yellow card and was helpful as Azerbaijan tried to hold onto their lead.

• 
  0

  0

  2.50

  Rahid Amirguliyev

  Played a good role in keeping hold of the ball for his side, but at times found himself on the fringes of the game.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Javid Huseynov

  Kept the ball well in the midfield while providing several good passes for his more attack-minded team-mates to run on to.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Ali Gökdemir

  Looked solid in the air, but struggled against Ferguson at times while giving away a few free kicks, before being replaced by Huseynov in the 62nd minute.

• 
  0

  1

  4.50

  Rauf Aliyev Top of the Match

  Scored a superb goal after just four minutes and was the Azerbaijanis’ main creative force throughout the game as he caused an enormous nuisance for the Northern Ireland defenders throughout the game.

• 
  0

  0

  2.50

  Vugar Nadirov

  Apart from sending a long-range attempt well over the bar, did little up front as Aliyev dominated proceedings.

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Cihan Özkara

  Largely anonymous as his team-mates took most of the plaudits, but at times contributed towards breaking up the play and ensuring his team kept hold of the ball before being replaced late in the game.

Substitutions

• 
  0

  0

  3.00

  Badavi Guseynov

  Came on for Gokdemir in the 62nd minute and was successful in repelling the waves of attacks from the home side.

• 
  0

  0

  Elhad Naziri

  Came on for Ramaldanov in the 71st minute, but had too little time to make an impact, outside of some cynical play-acting.

• 
  0

  0

  Vagif Javadov

  Came on for Ozkara in the 78th minute, but had too little time to make any telling contributions.