Mark Lawrenson/Soccer analyst: More foxtrot than samba at Lansdowne Road as Brazil cruised through last night's friendly against an eager Republic of Ireland team.

When the visitors roused themselves they were probably half a yard quicker, playing some glorious one-touch football, but for the most part they were content to play within themselves.

They were never likely to unearth that cutting-edge intensity for a friendly match, although several players, notably defenders, probably had to work harder than they anticipated against an honest and lively Ireland team. The home side's performance was very, very encouraging, particularly from the standpoint of individuals.

There is little point in attaching any importance or significance to last night's result in the context of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, but as a once-off entity and a platform for individuals to shine it will have been a useful exercise for Brian Kerr. Andy Reid, Andy O'Brien, Graham Kavanagh and Clinton Morrison all enhanced their reputations, or at least confirmed that they can acquit themselves well at this level.

Reid worked hard, and although he didn't get behind the Brazilian defence as often as he might in the Nationwide League, he wasn't fazed by the opposition, played his own game to good effect.

O'Brien formed a fine partnership with Kenny Cunningham and the Newcastle player did a decent job in tracking Ronaldo, or as well as most mere mortals manage. The Brazilian striker creates this wonderful illusion of looking completely disinterested and strolling about the place only to shake off that indifference in the blink of an eye. I think he only started to perspire in the last 20 minutes.

He had half a dozen chances but the majority of those he created for himself with wonderful acceleration. He may appear as if he's carrying a few pounds too many but he remains lightning-quick over the first five or 10 yards. Appearances can indeed be deceptive. The Irish defence coped pretty well - Shay Given had to be alert on a couple of occasions while O'Brien produced a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Ronaldinho.

Kavanagh was the epitome of industry in midfield, getting his foot in to break up Brazilian attacks and taking responsibility when Ireland were in possession. Kevin Kilbane looked more threatening when he surged forward from wide positions rather than through the middle, while Mattie Holland tried hard but looked ill at ease when removed from the centre of midfield.

Morrison earned his man-of-the-match accolade for a highly energetic performance. He held the ball up well, laid it off to the runners and managed to roll defenders, especially Roque Junior with ease. The latter obviously hasn't improved since his Leeds days and must be in the running for being one of world soccer's poorest defenders.

Morrison was responsible for Ireland's best chance of the night, crossing superbly, but Robbie Keane wasted a glorious opportunity. He won't want to look back at the video: perhaps he was surprised by the quality of the cross, but he really should have buried the header. It was the perfect height, had pace and he was unmarked.

The game's other clearcut chance fell to another Irishman, Stephen Carr, who did wonderfully well to control and take down the ball in one movement but who panicked a little in trying to use power rather than clip the ball over the goalkeeper. A little bit of composure and it could have been a famous night for the home side.

In fairness, Kerr will have been heartened that Ireland's best opportunities were created from broken play. You'd expect the home side to create problems for the Brazilians from set piece opportunities. There was also a high energy output in terms of the Irish performance.

They didn't let Brazil settle on the ball, tried to close them down and the visitors were made to work harder than they might have anticipated in a friendly match. How seriously did they take it? They played for most of the evening with the handbrake on but when they did slip out of comfort mode they showed glimpses of the ability that made them world champions.

It was a heartening display for the Irish side, one that bodes well when the competitive matches resume. It was about individuals within the team stepping up to the plate and showing Brian Kerr that they want to be part of that competitive adventure. On the night several players did exactly that.

In an interview with John O'Sullivan