Ukraine vs Northern Ireland player ratings: Who ranked highest in Lyons?

Gareth McAuley and Niall McGinn scored second-half goals to earn a 2-0 victory for the British side

Northern Ireland supporters salute their players after the 2-0 victory over Ukraine on Thursday (Getty)

Northern Ireland secured a first-ever European Championship victory on Thursday afternoon as they beat Ukraine 2-0 in a rain-soaked Lyons.

Michael O'Neill's side lost their opening match against Poland last Sunday but went ahead through a towering header from Gareth McAuley.

After a brief interruption due to heavy rain and a hailstorm, the Irish weathered the storm and added a breakaway second in injury-time through Niall McGinn.

World champions Germany provide the opposition for Ireland's final group game on Tuesday, while the Ukraine, now all-but eliminated, face Poland on the same night.

Niall McGinn scored Northern Ireland's second goal in Lyons (Getty)

Who rated highest in Lyons, however? Have a look at our player marks and let us know your opinions in the comments section below.

UKRAINE

Andriy Pyatov: Beaten by a brilliant McAuley header and a McGinn tap-in, there was little more he could have done for his side. Ratings: 6/10

Artem Fedetskiy Struggled to deal with Dallas and Washington, and his distribution forward was not much better. 5/10

Yevhen Khacheridi Lost possession at some vital moments, but also kept his head when Northern Ireland took charge. 6/10

Yevhen Khacheridi fought a losing battle in the Ukranian defence (Getty)

Yaroslav Rakitskiy Calm at the back, and one of his team's more attack-minded players when going for goal. 6/10

Vyacheslav Shevchuk Unable to provide any decent deliveries for his forwards. 5/10

Serhiy Sydorchuk Started brightly, but faded and was withdrawn shortly after being booked. 6/10

Taras Stepanenko The engine of Ukraine's midfield, he kept cropping up in pivotal positions at both ends of the pitch. 6/10

Andriy Yarmolenko The highly-rated forward failed to impact proceedings save for a couple of long range efforts. 5/10

Viktor Kovalenko The most likely of Ukraine's forwards to make a difference, he was surprisingly taken off before the end. 6/10

Yevhen Seleznyov found little reward for his toiling amid the Lyons rain and hail (Getty)

Yevhen Konoplyanka Wanted to attack at all times, but was frustrated by a resolute Northern Irish defence. 6/10

Yevhen Seleznyov Put himself about in the box, but those behind failed to take advantage of his knock downs. 6/10

NORTHERN IRELAND

Michael McGovern In extremely difficult conditions, the Hamilton goalkeeper was first class with his handling, punching and the few saves he had to make. 8/10

Aaron Hughes A 101st cap for the defender, who used all of his experience to keep Konoplyanka quiet. 7/10

Craig Cathcart Went close to scoring with a first half effort, it was his headers in his own box that helped Northern Ireland to victory. 7/10

Gareth McAuley Scored his country's first tournament goal for 30 years at 36-years of age. A wise old head at the back. 8/10

Jonny Evans Another imperious display from the defender, who proved himself as capable at left-back as he is in the middle. 8/10

Jamie Ward Came into the team, and showed real desire on the right. His corners caused constant problems for Ukraine. 7/10

Oliver Norwood set up the opener for Michael O'Neill's side (Getty)

Corry Evans Determined in the manner he broke up play, and was always on the lookout for a teammate. 6/10

Steven Davis A captain's performance. He kept his team cool when nerves threatened to get the better of them in the final moments. 7/10

Oliver Norwood Much better from the midfielder. Contributed to the defensive cause, and delivered a lovely ball for McAuley to score. 7/10

Stuart Dallas Added much-needed oomph and attacking intent to the Northern Ireland midfield. 7/10

Conor Washington Selected for his pace, the QPR forward had little chance to run with the ball, but he kept the Ukraine back-line busy all night. 6/10

Conor Washington put in the effort on a wet evening for Northern Ireland (Getty)

Niall McGinn The Aberdeen man showed great energy after coming on and sealed his side's victory with an instinctive finish deep into injury time. 7/10