Player Ratings: Chiedozie Ogbene carries the fight against France

A Benjamin Pavard goal in the second half saw the Republic of Ireland narrowly beaten by France in their Euro 2024 qualifier opener at the Aviva Stadium.

Here is how the Irish players rated:

Gavin Bazunu - 8

For a lot of the game, Bazunu had very little to do as an organised Irish defence stopped France from having a clear route to goal. His biggest contribution of the first half was when a corner from Antoine Griezmann was knocked down in front of him. The second half saw the goalkeeper make a succession of saves that made sure Ireland stayed in the game.

Seamus Coleman - 7

If the role of a full-back is about covering space and linking up with a back three and the midfield, he epitomised that against France. Coleman kept running, and he was able to find the time to play balls through to the Irish forwards. He led by example and did not once look tired over an exhausting 90 minutes against the World Cup runners up.

Dara O'Shea - 7

His night was all about positioning as he read everything around him while not once drifting out of position. This made sure that there were no gaps that France could exploit in the Irish defence.

John Egan - 7

The defender marked his first start for Ireland in 2023 by marshalling the back three and he organised them with expert precision. He commanded the area and this contributed massively to France only having three shots on target.

Nathan Collins - 6

An excellent performance by the Dubliner could have been capped off when he connected with a corner from Josh Cullen in the 88th minute. This brought everyone to their feet and they saw the French goalkeeper claw the ball out from the top right corner.

Matt Doherty - 7

Another expert showing from the full-back as he hunted down every ball and