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01.11.2007 at 15:00 Povoa do Varzim
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Attendance: 120 |
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Belarus |
2 - 0
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Rep of Ireland Under 19 |
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Referee: Dejan Filipović (Serbia) |
European Qualifier / T/S-match |
Radevich 37 mins,
Vitus 82 mins, |
None. |
Artisiom Hamelka,
Maksim Vitus,
Dzmitry Shmatko,
Siarhei Palitsevich,
Valentin Radevich,
Aliaksei Kazlou,
Pavel Hrechyshka (c),
Andrei Varankou,
Uladzimir Yurchanka,
Dzmitry Yuzovich,
Ihar Zaniamonets. |
Shane Redmond
Garry Breen
Brendan Moloney
Shane Lowry
Danny Earls
Lorcan Fitzgerald
Paul Cahillane
Graham Carey
Christy Fagan
Ian Daly
Emeka Onwubiko
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UEFA U19 First Phase Qualifier
Republic of Ireland 0-2 Belarus
The Republic of Ireland suffered defeat in the first of their three UEFA first phase qualifiers in Povoa Varzim, Portugal this afternoon.
A physically superior Belarus team netted a goal in either half to consign Ireland to a disappointing defeat which leaves them with it all to do if they are to advance into the second, Elite stage.
The Irish struggled to impose their swift passing game upon their opponents and found themselves trailing after 35 minutes.
A big improvement by the Irish during the second half led to a couple of chances being created but they were hit with a sucker-punch 8 minutes from full-time through the concession of a second goal.
Sean McCaffrey’s side will look to make amends when they meet Andorra on Saturday, November 3rd. Their mini-group concludes with a match against hosts Portugal on Tuesday, November 6th. Portugal defeated Andorra 1-0 in the other group game played today.
Ireland need to finish in one of the top two places of the four nation group to automatically progress from the pool into the next Elite round which will be contested next Spring. There is also one extra place available for the third-placed team in the 12 groups with the best record against the top two.
The winners of the seven Elite groups will then qualify to join the hosts Czech Republic at the U19 European Championship Finals from July 14th – 26th.
Opportunities were limited for both sides in the opening 45 minutes and apart from a Danny Earls shot which drifted wide on 17 minutes and Paul Cahillane’s cross-shot that was tipped over by the goalkeeper, Ireland showed little spark in attack.
A rapid-fire break down the left flank ten minutes before the break resulted in the Belarusian opener when a low shot sped past Irish goalkeeper Shane Redmond and into the net.
That was the catalyst for more attacks on Redmond’s goal and three minutes later, the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper was at his best to push a shot onto the post. His Forest colleague Brendan Moloney was also on hand to save the Irish with a goal-line clearance as the whistle loomed.
Donal McDermott and Harry Arter were introduced for Ireland at the interval in place of Emeka Onwubiko and Ian Daly as Irish manager Sean McCaffrey attempted to engineer a second half comeback.
Ireland had to wait until the hour mark to have an opening of real substance but Graham Carey’s volley sailed over the bar.
Substitute Arter then played in Chris Fagan with a clever pass on the left side of the penalty area and though the Manchester United man succeeded in cutting the ball across a goal, the danger was averted by the covering defender.
Ireland were caught out again after 82 minutes when Belarus scored their second goal with another neat finish from a shot following some hesitant defending.
Republic of Ireland:
Shane Redmond (Nottingham Forest)
Brendan Moloney (Nottingham Forrest)
Shane Lowry (Aston Villa)
Garry Breen (Manchester City)
Danny Earls (Aston Villa)
Lorcan Fitzgerald (West Ham United) - captain
Paul Cahillane (Celtic)
Graham Carey (Celtic)
Emeka Onwubiko (Bray Wanderers)
Christy Fagan (Manchester United)
Ian Daly (Manchester City)
Substitutions:
Harry Arter (Charlton Athletic) for Daly – 46 mins.
Donal McDermott (Manchester City) for Onwubiko – 46 mins.
David Hutton (Tottenham Hotspur) for Cahillane – 74 mins.
Subs not used:
James McKeown (Peterborough United)
Noel Haverty (St. Patrick’s Athletic)
Michael Daly (Manchester City)
Ian Bermingham (UCD) |
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