Here’s how the Ireland players rated in their defeat at Turner's Cross

Not a great day out in Cork for Martin O'Neill's men.

Shay Given: Could do little about either goal. Made a couple of good saves to keep the Republic of Ireland in the game at 1-0, especially to keep out Maksim Valadzko's long-range effort just before the break. 6 out of 10.

Cyrus Christie: Struggled to contain Belarus' attacking players and his defending was suspect throughout the game. Was at fault for the second goal, allowing Valadzko to cut past him too easily. 4.

Richard Keogh: Perhaps Martin O'Neill might have wanted to see more leadership qualities from the Derby captain when Ireland were rattled and lost their shape a little after going 1-0 down. 5.

Ciaran Clark: Had a couple of chances with headers in the second half but was caught out of position a couple of times at the end that mattered - in defence. 5.

Ireland's Ciaran Clark has an attempt on goal as Mikhail Sivako of Belarus watches on. Photo: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Stephen Ward: Had a lot of joy down the left early on as Ireland threatened an early goal. Caused Belarus problems for most of the evening and was rewarded with a goal. Put in a decent shift defensively too, most notably making a timely interception just before half-time to prevent a likely second goal for Belarus. 7.

Stephen Ward celebrates scoring Ireland's first goal. Photo: INPHO/Donall Farmer

Aiden McGeady: Was involved more in the second half as Ireland improved markedly after half-time as he put some decent crosses into the box - one of which should have been headed home by Daryl Murphy. 6.

Darron Gibson: A fairly solid showing although his distribution at times with the long ball was a little awry. Typically combative. 6.

Ireland's Darron Gibson reacts to conceding the second goal. Photo: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

David Meyler: Played it simple but without being overly effective. 5.

James McClean: Looked up for it from the start and really got the crowd going with a couple of firm challenges on Dzyanis Palyakow early on. 6.

Jeff Hendrick: Always wanted the ball and did not hide when the going got tough. 6.

Daryl Murphy: Largely starved of service, especially in the first half, and had a thankless task up front. Should probably have scored at the start of the second half but headed the ball over the crossbar. 5.

Substitutes

Shane Long (67 mins for Murphy): Took less than five minutes to make an impact, setting up Ward to score. Made a difference when he came on and might even have scored but poked the ball narrowly wide. 7.

Wes Hoolahan (67 mins for Gibson): Struggled to get involved as much as he would have wanted to and his delivery from a couple of set-piece situations was disappointing. 5.

David Forde (68 mins for Given): Had very little to do following his introduction, owing to Ireland's vastly improved second-half showing. 5.

Eunan O'Kane (74 for Myler): Looked lively and eager to get involved. 5.

Callum O'Dowda (75 mins for McGeady): Showed energy and enthusiasm on his international debut. 5.

David McGoldrick (78 mins for McClean): Hit a free-kick into the defensive wall, wasting a good position, but came very close to an equalising goal in injury time with a thunderous effort which went just wide. 5.