Brian Kerr's Republic of Ireland squad got off to a perfect start at the UEFA Under-19 preliminary mini-qualifying tournament with a 3-0 victory over Latvia in front of 4,000 people at St Colman's Park in Cobh this evening. Stockport County striker Jonathon Daly gave Ireland the lead in the first minute when he headed home with just 34 seconds on the clock.
Charlton Athletic's Adrian Deane made it 2-0 on 10 minutes, and Daly ended the game as a contest when he scored his second of the night five minutes before the break. Ireland meet Austria on Wednesday afternoon and Croatia provide the opposition on Friday night.
With only eight teams to qualify for next summer's Finals, Ireland face a very tough qualifying process. If they were to win this week's qualifying Group 13, Ireland would face the winners of Group 14, which includes France and Holland, for a place at the Finals in Norway next July.
Earlier this afternoon Croatia beat Austria 1-0 at Middleton. |
