Northern Ireland lost their 100% record in Euro 2016 qualifying after going down 2-0 to Romania in Bucharest tonight.

Right-back Paul Papp struck both goals in the final 15 minutes as the Romanians moved top of Group F, one point clear of Michael O'Neill's side.

Below, Sports Mole sorts the heroes from the villains in tonight's defeat for the Northern Irish.

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Goal

Ciprian Tatarusanu: Did not have a meaningful shot to save in the entire game and will barely need a post-match shower by virtue of his inactivity. Quiet game. (6/10)

Defence

Paul Papp: Romania's two-goal hero effectively operated as a second right-winger and spent plenty of time behind enemy lines. Rewarded for adventure with two good goals - including an excellent finish for the first. (8/10)

Vlad Chirches: Earned the distinction of being in the only defence to have kept Lafferty at bay in this qualifying campaign. He barely gave the visitors' star striker a sniff in the 90 minutes. Fine display. (7/10)

Dragos Grigore: Sounds like a Game of Thrones character but enjoyed the quietest of nights this evening and very seldom found himself in danger. (6/10)

Razvan Rat: Should have opened the scoring in the second half, but atoned for that miss with an assist for Papp's first goal. Like his fellow full-back, had very little defending to do. (6/10)

Midfield

Gabriel Torje: Did not enjoy as much success as he would have hoped for as left-back Ryan McGivern did relatively well on the right-hand side of midfield to keep him quiet. (5/10)

Lucian Sanmartean: Showed why comparisons with the great Gheorghe Hagi are not unfounded; producing a virtuoso performance in Romania's midfield and found himself at the heart of absolutely everything they created. Bagged an exceptional assist for the second goal. (8/10)

Mihai Pintilii: Sat in defensive midfield, stifling Northern Ireland in their rare forays and allowed Sanmartean to do his thing at the other end. (7/10)

Cristian Tanase: Perhaps slightly guilty of playing one too many over-hit passes at key moments. (4/10)

Attack

Alexandru Chipciu: Hit the bar in the first half with an opportunity that he should have scored, and then missed the chance to repent by squandering a header from the resulting rebound. Moved up top to little effect when Stancu went off. (5/10)

Bogdan Stancu: More like Bogdan Statue. Largely ineffective and missed easily the best chance of the first half by falling over when Sanmartean had put it on a plate for him following a superb solo run. Subbed at half time. (3/10)

Substitutes

Claudiu Keseru: Replaced Stancu at the break and immediately showed his coach why he should have started, playing in Rat early in the second half but the right-back fluffed his lines. Far more involved than his predecessor on the night. (7/10)

Alexandr Maxim: Replaced the injured Tanase and managed to keep the ball relatively well at a time when Northern Ireland threatened a bit more. (6/10)

Ovidiu Hoban: Sent on with eight minutes remaining as Romania battened down the hatches. (5/10)

Goal

Roy Carroll: Saved well from Rat early in the second half but perhaps guilty of straying too far off his line for the second goal. Mixed bag tonight. (5/10)

Defence

Ryan McGivern: Looked excellent for 75 minutes but both goals were scored in his vicinity of the field. Could have perhaps got forward more, too. (6/10)

Aaron Hughes: Did little wrong all night and might feel aggrieved to have ended up on the losing side. (7/10)

Gareth McAuley: Kept Stancu quiet throughout his 45-minute stint, but had less joy against a far more dynamic player in Keseru. (6/10)

Conor McLaughlin: Like his fellow full-back McGivern, did well for long periods but the cross that led to the opening goal came from his area. (5/10)

Midfield

Chris Baird: Struggled big time with the lively Sanmartean throughout, but did provide one crucial intervention to deny Chipciu an almost certain goal in the first half. (6/10)

Corry Evans: Another one who had major difficulties with Sanmartean as the veteran midfielder all but walked through the visitors' midfield at times. (4/10)

Chris Brunt: Perhaps had Northern Ireland's best chance when he fizzed a left-footed shot wide of the post in the first half. Very little involvement other than that. (4/10)

Oliver Norwood: Largely anonymous showing from the Derby County man and did little to affect the game at either end. (4/10)

Niall McGinn: Helped Conor McLaughlin out with the defensive duties on his country's right wing, but never looked like having a positive impact at the other end. (5/10)

Attack

Kyle Lafferty: Found himself in the pocket of Chirches for the vast majority of the game. His first Euro 2016 qualifier that he hadn't scored in, and never looked like maintaining his record tonight. (4/10)

Substitutes

Sammy Clingan: Looked more involved than McGinn - who he replaced - but had little to no impact in his efforts. (4/10)

Billy McKay: Had a very brief cameo and only managed one or two touches of the ball. (6/10)

Written by
Shane Callaghan