The Republic of Ireland Under 18s ended their campaign at an Invitational Tournament in Spain with a 4-1 defeat to Czech Republic.
13th Nov 2017
The game at the Pinatar Arena was the final match of a six-game tournament that also included the Belgium and Netherlands Under 18 sides.
Ireland trailed 3-0 at the break, but produced their best 45 minutes of the tournament in the second half, and were rewarded with a Richard O'Farrell goal in the 84th-minute.
Speaking after the game, Republic of Ireland U18s manager Jim Crawford said he was happy with the team's performance after a disappointing defeat to Netherlands on Saturday.
"To go into half-time 3-0 down was a major disappointment, considering the performance the players put in. We created chances are were caught on the counter-attack. It's been a steep learning curve for the players
"Even though it was an Invitational Tournament, the level of football was very competitive among all four sides. We played against fantastic teams that were technically very good."
Republic of Ireland: Brian Maher; Andrew Lyons, Oisin McEntee, Kevin Healy, Luke Nolan; Aaron Bolger, Jordan Doherty, Conor Coventry; Gavin Kilkenny, Aaron Connolly, William Ferry.
Subs Used: Richard O’Farrell, William Smallbone, Kameron Ledwidge, Adam Idah. |
