Poland 1 Northern Ireland 0 player ratings: How did Kyle Lafferty perform in Euro 2016 meeting?

A look at the individual performances in the Group C encounter

Kyle Lafferty tries something spectacular against Poland (Getty)

Northern Ireland fell to a 1-0 defeat to Poland in their Euro 2016 opener on a day which fell exactly 30 years since their last finals appearance.

Arkadiusz Milik's 51st-minute goal in Nice consigned Michael O'Neill's team to their first defeat in 13 fixtures and left them facing an uphill tasking to progress from Group C.

Northern Ireland stood firm in the face of most of the Polish pressure, and even kept Robert Lewandowski quiet, but their inability to create opportunities at the other end meant the Poles, who won for the first time at a Euros, were never truly troubled.

Here, we take a look at the individual performances...

POLAND

Wojciech Szczesny: Little to do as his side dominated possession, but dealt well with the rare aerial threats Northern Ireland offered. 6/10

Lukasz Piszczek: Impressed when getting forward, and combined well on the right with Blaszczykowski. 7/10

Kamil Glik: Comfortable for long periods, he looked uncertain when pressurised. 6/10

Michal Pazdan: Dealt with Kyle Lafferty throughout, and recovered well when the striker won the first ball. 7/10

Artur Jedrzejczyk: His pace down the left troubled McLaughlin, but his crosses often failed to find their target. 7/10

Jakub Blaszczykowski: The experienced midfielder bossed the right side of the pitch, and his pinpoint ball set up Milik to score. 8/10

Grzegorz Krychowiak: Kept play ticking over in midfield, often at the start of Poland's best attacks. 7/10

Krzysztof Maczynski: Ran out of steam in the centre, and was the first Polish player to be removed. 6/10

Bartosz Kapustka: The teenager showed much promise. He nearly broke the deadlock in the first half, grew into the game in the second and took one for the team by bringing down Baird. 8/10

Arkadiusz Milik: Poland's biggest goal threat of this game, he finally broke the deadlock after previously going close on numerous occasions. 8/10

Robert Lewandowski: Given a tough time by Jonny Evans all evening, he failed to record a single shot on goal. 6/10

Arkadiusz Milik celebrates his goal for Poland against Northern Ireland (Getty)

NORTHERN IRELAND

Michael McGovern: Made some decent first half saves, and had little chance with the goal. 6/10

Craig Cathcart: Even under pressure, the Watford man continually read the game well to clear danger. 6/10

Gareth McAuley: The West Brom defender kept his defence tight, and headed clear at each opportunity. 6/10

Jonny Evans: Fought hard in his battle with Lewandowski, rarely allowing the striker a sight of goal. 7/10

Conor McLaughlin: Struggled against Poland's pace, but never shied away and improved as the game grew old. 6/10

Chris Baird: Covered well in front of his defence, and did the simple things to keep Northern Ireland in contention. 7/10

Paddy McNair: Deployed in a midfield position, he looked off the pace and was taken off at half-time. 5/10

Oliver Norwood: Improved as Northern Ireland threw caution to the wind after conceding. His free-kick deliveries were a disappointment. 5/10

Shane Ferguson: The Millwall man saw little of the ball, and was replaced just after the hour mark. 5/10

Steven Davis: The captain led by example, and was close to finishing off a late set-piece manoeuvre. 7/10

Kyle Lafferty: Put himself about, but fought a losing battle on his own up front. 5/10