A Gareth McAuley own goal saw Michael O’Neill’s men fall to a narrow 1-0 defeat in Saturday’s Euro 2016 last-16 tie in Paris.
Michael McGovern 6/10 – Pulled off a fine save in the second half to keep out a Gareth Bale free-kick but didn’t have much else to do on the afternoon.
Aaron Hughes 7/10 – The 36-year-old was calm at the back and even had some joy getting forward during the first half. An honourable performance to go out on if it proves to be his last at the international level.
Craig Cathcart 7/10 – The Watford centre-back did an excellent job of keeping the Welsh attack quiet for most of the match, snuffing out danger with little fuss.
Gareth McAuley 7/10 – Extremely unlucky to turn Gareth Bale’s cross into his own net after defending superbly throughout the prior 75 minutes. The West Bromwich Albion man can still hold his head high.
Jonny Evans 7/10 – Did especially well to limit Bale’s effectiveness early on and looked calm and composed when in possession.
Jamie Ward 7/10 – The Nottingham Forest midfielder came close to opening the scoring in the first half with a long-range effort and was full of running throughout.
Steven Davis 6/10 – The Southampton midfielder showed a few signs of class here and there but could have made more of the time he was afforded on the ball.
Corry Evans 7/10 – Shielded the back four well in his holding role and helped keep the midfield ticking over with his passing.
Oliver Norwood 6.5/10 – Committed a few poor turnovers but covered a tonne of ground and served up some dangerous set-pieces.
Stuart Dallas 7.5/10 – The Leeds United wide man almost gave Northern Ireland the lead with a powerful first-half effort and served as their best attacking outlet at times. He didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, getting booked for a strong challenge on Bale towards the end of the first half.
Kyle Lafferty 6/10 – The Norwich City striker was kept relatively quiet by Wales’ defence but made himself a nuisance when he could with his pace and strength.
SUBSTITUTES
Connor Washington (Ward 69) 5/10 – Failed to pose much of an attacking threat during the last 20 minutes.
Niall McGinn (Norwood 79) 6/10 – Showed a few good touches on the flanks during the closing stages.
Josh Magennis (McAuley 84) N/A – Didn’t see much of the ball.
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