It's as you were after the first 90 minutes in Copenhagen. Here's how we rated the Republic of Ireland.
Randolph and Cornelius play a heart-stopping one-two. Fair play to the Boro keeper #DENIRL #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/5aEN0oEUJo
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) November 11, 2017
Darren Randolph 9/10
Made a phenomenal 12th-minute double save to deny Larsen and then Cornelius, and a crucial stop from Paulsen's header at the death. Always composed and confident, he kept his country in this tie tonight. Moved to Middlesbrough to keep his World Cup dream alive and has played every minute of our 11 games in this campaign to date; he's a massive presence.
Lovely football from Murphy, Christie and Hendrick. More please #denirl #RTEsoccerhttps://t.co/75x8kmyhZZ pic.twitter.com/2SmfFMORW2
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) November 11, 2017
Cyrus Christie 8.5/10
A superb run down the right almost plundered an away goal just before half-time. Was left seeing stars after catching a ferocious Larsen strike on the top of the head but this was an excellent showing from another Middlesbrough man. Offered an outlet on the right, never flustered in defence and always looked comfortable in possession.
Shane Duffy 8.5/10
Gobbled up everything that came his way on the deck and in the air. Aggressive and assured, Duffy's distribution is not his strong point but O'Neill has him in this team to defend and he did that with his usual unflinching commitment. Glanced a decent late header into Schmeichel's arms to accentuate his dead-ball threat.
Ciaran Clark 7/10
An awful clearance straight to Eriksen almost resulted in Sisto breaking the deadlock in the first half. Couldn't control a dropping Brady free-kick in the box that would have given him a golden opportunity to score. Made some important interceptions though and his partnership with Duffy continues to thrive.
Stephen Ward 7/10
Dealt with several Danish flourishes down their right and produced another steady Eddie performance in an Irish shirt. Didn't offer any attacking support but the hosts got no change out of the Dubliner despite bombarding the channels with diagonals, particularly in the first half.
James McClean 7/10
Thundered into tackles every time he could get near a man in red and had one or two raids down the channels. Didn't get service high enough up the field to hurt the Danes and will hope to get at them more in Dublin. Was one of those walking on a yellow card tightrope all night and showed maturity to keep his head throughout.
Harry Arter 7.5/10
Absolutely tireless in the middle of the park. Always offered himself for the ball, even if his passing was too often sideways and backwards. Helped settle the visitors down during a rocky opening 15 minutes.
Jeff Hendrick 6/10
Never got going. Large periods of the game passed him by as he struggled to get on the ball or even make his presence felt without it. Held his position and covered a lot of yards but Ireland will need, and expect, more from him in three days' time - if he starts.
Robbie Brady 8/10
The Burnley man put in a big shift in the engine room. Relieved Danish pressure buy getting his foot on the ball and showed good energy levels alongside Arter. Played his part in keeping Eriksen quiet.
Callum O’Dowda 7/10
Neat and tidy on the ball when he got it, disciplined and hard working out of possession. This was a serious baptism of fife for the Bristol City man but he certainly wasn't out of his depth. Won a couple of free-kicks with positive, driving runs in the second half and could well have done enough to start in Dublin.
Daryl Murphy 6.5/10
It was a lonely post leading the line tonight and the big man was often isolated. With such a lack of supporting Irish players the ball mostly came back as quickly as it reached him but Murphy didn't make it stick as well as he needed to. Should have been taken off ten minutes earlier.
We was robbed! Corner all day long #denirl #RTEsoccer https://t.co/75x8kmyhZZ pic.twitter.com/i5O18hhbKw
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) November 11, 2017
Substitutes
Shane Long on for Murphy (74)
His pace gave Ireland another dimension, even if he got few chances to open up his legs. Had one opening that saw him screw a left-footer wide. Needs a goal but will always be a valuable weapon for Ireland off the bench when legs tire and games open up.
Glenn Whelan on for Arter (88)
Not on long enough to rate.
Conor Hourihane for Hendrick (90)
Not on long enough to rate.
Martin O'Neill 8/10
He got what he came for. This wasn't pretty and some may lament a missed opportunity to snatch an away goal but O'Neill would have taken a scoreless draw before kick-off and that's what he got. His side were set up to frustrate Denmark and nullify Eriksen; they did both. It sets up a massive, massive night at the Aviva. Bring it on.
