A goal from captain Dara O'Shea was enough for Ireland to defeat Romania 1-0 this afternoon in La Manga, Spain.
13th Feb 2018
As Tom Mohan's side continue their preparations for the Elite Round of the UEFA Under-19 European Championship next month, this week's two friendlies against Romania count as the final preparations for the team ahead of the games against Portugal, Slovakia and Kosovo.
The team wore black armbands, and a minutes silence was held before the match in memory of Republic of Ireland international Liam Miller.
Midway through the first half, O'Shea found himself free at the back post of a Daniel McKenna free-kick to head past Romania's goalkeeper Aioani Marian.
Speaking after the game, Republic of Ireland U19 Head Coach Tom Mohan has delighted with his side's performance.
"It was a hard fought victory. We played some very good football. I thought the goalkeeper and the back four were very solid. The midfield worked extremely hard, as were the forwards. It was a very good team effort."
"We have seven players making their debut at Under-19s this year. It was a great opportunity for them and more will do so on Thursday."
"It's all about getting into the Elite Round squad. A number of the players would have done themselves a big favour today."
The two teams meet again on Thursday afternoon at the Pinatar Arena. Kick off is at 12pm (11am Irish time).
Republic of Ireland: Brian Maher; Luke Heeney, Dara O'Shea (captain), Lee O'Connor, Rian O'Sullivan; Daniel McKenna, Callum Nicell; Kian Flanagan, Matthew Shiels (Rowan Roache 67), Anthony Scully (Ciaran Dunne 80); Aidan Keena (Aaron Dobbs 73). |
