21.10.2008 at 19:30 Dalymount Park
|
Attendance: |
Ireland Under 23 |
1 - 2
|
Belgium
|
Referee: Neil Doyle |
Under 23 International Challenge Trophy-match |
Under-23 International Challenge Trophy
Republic of Ireland 1-2 Belgium
David Hubert scored a brilliant stoppage time winner as Belgium stunned Ireland at Dalymount Park to reach the final of the Under-23 International Challenge Trophy.
With Ireland down to ten men following the sending off of Conor Kenna for a foul on Jelle Vossen, 19-year-old Belgian skipper Hubert struck from 30 yards four minutes into time added on at the finish to give Irish keeper Barry Murphy no chance as the ball flew into the corner of the net.
Needing just a draw to qualify, Shamrock Rovers' right-back Ger O'Brien struck on 80 minutes to seemingly have the Irish on their way to that mission, firing home from ten yards from skipper Paul Keegan's free-kick in to the near post.
Vossen had given what was a Belgian under-20 team the lead on 64 minutes. Ireland lost possession in midfield and Genk striker Vossen then availed of a slip by defender Gavin Peers to skip across keeper Barry Murphy and slide the ball to the net.
A minute earlier Denis Behan had brought the game to life when collecting Conor Powell's pass to see his deflected shot come back off a post.
Hubert forced Murphy into turning a 12th minute free-kick out for the first corner of the night in a tight first half. Vossen then failed to get what would have been a scoring touch to Joachim Mununga's delivery.
Behan, who later had a goal ruled out for offside, had Ireland's first chance on 18 minutes when drilling a shot off defender Gil Servaes.
Stephen Rice worked an opening minutes later, when his cross was cleared back to him, with his follow-up shot deflected out for a corner.
Republic of Ireland: Murphy (Shamrock Rovers); O'Brien (Shamrock Rovers), Kenna (UCD), Peers (Sligo Rovers), Powell (Bohemians); O'Shea (Galway United), O'Donnell (Bohemians), Keegan (Drogheda United), Rice (Shamrock Rovers), Brennan (Bohemians); Behan (Cork City).
Subs: Kelly (Bohemians) and Gaynor (Cobh Ramblers) for O'Shea and Brennan (both 65 mins.), Rowe (Bray Wanderers) for Rice (79 mins.), Coleman (Sligo Rovers) for Kelly (90 mins.).
Belgium: Goeman (Lens); Tamsin (Turnhout), van Gijseghem (Mouscron), Servaes (Anderlecht), Huyghebaert (Auzerre); Mununga (Mechelen), Hubert (Genk), Vermeerbergen (Beerschot), Papassarantis (Roeselare); Mathyssen (Waasland), Vossen (Genk),
Subs: Buyens (Lierse) for Mununga), Wittesaele (Dender) for Mathyssen, Kums (Kortrijk) for van Gijseghem (all at half-time), Ngadrira (Mechelen) for Papassarantis (84 mins.).
Referee: Neil Doyle (Ireland). |
|
|