The Republic of Ireland secured a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Uruguay in a friendly match, with Jonathan Walters, Cyrus Christie and James McClean all finding the target in Dublin.

Ireland had taken a 28th-minute lead through Walters’s sumptuous effort and, although José Giménez levelled before the break, Christie’s strike and a well-executed third from the substitute McClean rounded off a good evening for the manager, Martin O’Neill.

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He made eight changes to the side who lost 3-1 against Mexico with only the goalkeeper, Darren Randolph, and the defenders Christie and Shane Duffy retained, and his big names engineered a significant improvement on the performance at the MetLife Stadium to boost spirits before Austria’s visit to Dublin next Sunday for a World Cup qualifier.

O’Neill’s opposite number, Óscar Tabárez, named only five of the men who started Ururguay’s last World Cup qualifier in Peru, among them the Paris Saint-Germain frontman Edinson Cavani.

In the event Cavani lasted 12 minutes before over-stretching in a vain attempt to reach Randolph’s nonchalant pass across his own penalty area to Duffy at the start of a first half which was to move from the sublime to the ridiculous before it drew to a close.

Ireland’s 4-2-3-1 formation gave them a more solid base than they had enjoyed against the Mexicans when O’Neill’s three-man defence simply did not work but Robbie Brady found himself operating on the right and initially struggled to have his usual influence.

Walters enjoyed some early success in getting behind the Uruguay rearguard but it was Brady who tested Esteban Conde with a swerving 13th-minute effort before Duffy only just failed to connect with a diving header from the Burnley midfielder’s cross seconds later.

Cavani’s replacement, Cristhian Stuani, failed to trouble Randolph with a tame 18th-minute volley and the home side took the lead in some style 10 minutes later.

Glenn Whelan surged on to Jeff Hendrick’s pass and stabbed the ball towards Walters who, having urged his team-mate to step aside, took a touch and then curled a dipping right-foot shot past Conde and into the far corner.

Uruguay were level seven minutes before the break when Giménez made the most of Randolph’s ill-judged decision to come for Egidio Arevalo Rios’ free-kick, although he needed a piece of good fortunate as the ball came off his shoulder as he attempted to head it and looped into the unguarded net.

However, Ireland would have gone in ahead at the break had Walters been able to summon up even a morsel of the quality he had demonstrated earlier when meeting Brady’s volleyed cross in front of an open goal but he contrived to steer his shot against the crossbar from three yards.

Christie did restore the advantage within six minutes of the restart, though, when he cut inside the full-back Martin Cáceres and deceived Conde with a low left-foot shot which Sebastián Coates failed to block.

With Brady now playing in his more accustomed left-sided berth, the Republic were more of a threat despite O’Neill making five substitutions by the hour.

One of them, Keiren Westwood, announced his return to the fold with a fine one-handed save from Gimenez’s towering 68th-minute header but it was Ireland who finished the stronger.

Daryl Murphy tested Conde with a low drive and then set up his fellow substitute McClean to cement the win in clinical fashion. McClean stepped on to Murphy’s pass, skipped over Giménez’s desperate lunge and thumped a shot across the keeper and inside the far post.