Under 17s win in Ukraine
Sean McCaffrey’s Under-17 side have made a perfect start to the Under 17 UEFA Championship, 1st Qualifying phase by defeating Ukraine, 2-1 in Kiev earlier today.
Tournament hosts, Ukraine, dominated most of the first half, forcing the best out of Shane Redmond in the Irish goal from an early stage.
Dynamo Kyiv player, Volkov, caused havoc for the Irish defence and finally broke the deadlock with a strike on 34 minutes.
The Irish response was almost instant as Tom Lyons ran on to a through-ball from Michael Daly and drilled the ball into the net despite a close presence from defenders.
At half time, Karl Byrne made way for Tottenham’s Terry Dixon with Sean McCaffrey opting to play a 4-4-2 formation for the 2nd half which ultimately turned the game in favour of the Irish.
The Republic of Ireland side pressed for the lead and they were rewarded late in the game after 80 minutes. Substitute, Terry Dixon was brought down in the penalty box after he ran on to Donal McDermott pass which allowed Graham Carey to slot the ball past the Ukraine keeper for a dramatic victory to ensure Sean McCaffrey’s men made it 5 wins in a row since their Nordic Cup victory in August.
Sean McCaffrey stated that he was delighted with the win against a very exceptional Ukraine team who were unbeaten in two recent tournaments in Ukraine and Poland.
The Republic of Ireland will face Italy on Thursday 29th September, Banninkov Stadium, Ukraine. Kick off 15.30 hrs (local time)
Republic of Ireland: Shane Redmond (Nottingham Forest), Andrew Callaghan (Millwall), Lorcan Fitzgerald (c) (West Ham United), Garry Breen (Manchester City), Gavin Donoghue (Sunderland), Michael Daly (Cherry Orchard), Paul Cahillane (Celtic), Graham Carey (Celtic), Donal McDermott (Manchester City), Tom Lyons (Crystal Palace), Karl Byrne (Belvedere)
Subs: Terry Dixon (Tottenham Hotspur) on for Karl Byrne, 40 Mins, Paul Skinner (Celtic) on for Shane Redmond, 50 Mins, Cillian Sheridan (Belvedere) on for Tom Lyons, 70 Mins |