Republic of Ireland 1-1 Iceland
The Republic of Ireland Under 17s kicked off their UEFA Under 17 Championship first phase qualifiers with a 1-1 draw with Iceland in Sternberg Germany.
After falling behind to an Arnor Smarson opener, Ireland fought back levelling through Anthony Stokes on the half hour in what manager Sean McCaffrey described as a scrappy game. “It was very scrappy. We played well for the first ten minutes and for the last ten and created some chances with Keith Treacy and Anthony Stokes both going close but we didn’t deserve to win the game,” he said.
“Iceland played a very tight game and were very strong while we played the better football, though I think a draw was a fair result.
“It’s not a good result for us but it’s not the end of the world either.”
Ireland face hosts Germany on Saturday who beat Lithuania 4-0 on Thursday morning. “Noel O’Reilly went to see them play and he was very impressed with them. We need to take something from the game but it will be very difficult,” said McCaffrey.
Team: Henderson; Davis, Moloney, Nolan, Quigley; Ryan, Gleeson, Bayly, Treacy; Stokes, Kiely.
Subs: Downes for Kiely (55 mins), Dunphy for Ryan (70 mins), Power for Bayly (77 mins). |