Ireland 0 Portugal 3
Ireland looked depressingly out of their depth last night when crashing 3-0 to Portugal to bow out of the u21 International Tournament in Toulon, France.
After beating Ghana on Saturday, Don Givens' side only needed a draw to reach the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time in five attempts - and as the game approached half time, it looked as if things were going to plan, despite the constant pressure of the Portuguese.
Starting the game with just two fit strikers in their squad, Ireland had no real option but to defend. A combination of hard work, a bit of luck and good goalkeeping by Joe Murphy saw them safely through the first 40 minutes.
Irish minds were already on the half-time refreshments when Tonel struck to give Portugal the lead and the Republic never recovered from the trauma.
Miguel looked yards offside when he added Portugal's second, but there was no doubt about the third: a delicious 30-yard chip by Ednilson late in the game.
Ireland's misery was complete when Brentford's Martin Rowlands, a 63rd-minute substitute, was sent off after collecting two yellow cards in 16 minutes! |
