THE Republic of Ireland U16 side suffered a 2-0 loss to Austria in the second fixture of the UEFA U16 Development Tournament in Telki, Hungary, this evening.
4th May 2016
Paul Osam's side conceded two goals in the final 14 minutes to end up on the losing side but the Irish can still win the group if they beat Slovakia in their final game on Friday and the Hungary-Austria fixture ends in a draw.
Adam Idah had a header just off target in the best chance of a scrappy opening half and the Irish had a solid chance to open the scoring early in the second half when Idah had the ball in the Austrian net but the effort was ruled out for offside.
It was Idah once more in the right place at the right time when he connected with a Ryan Burke cross after the Austrians half-cleared an Irish corner but this time his header was blocked by the goalkeeper.
To complete the drama Idah was so unlucky when he produced an excellent turn and strike that saw the ball cannon back off the base of the Austrian upright.
Austria punished the Irish for not taking their chances when Matteo Meisl arrived at the back post to control and fire the opener in the 66th minute.
To compound matters the second Austrian goal came in the 76th minute when Christophe Klarer converted with a free header after Idah was off the pitch with an injury and the Irish were not allowed bring a substitute on before the kick was taken.
"We were on top at the time of the opening goal but it's always the case in international football that you have to take their chances when they come," said Irish coach Osam.
"Their opening goal was decent for them but disappointing for us, as any goal you concede is.
"We may not have deserved to win overall but we probably did not deserve to lose. All four teams are on three points now so it sets things up for an interesting end to the tournament on Friday.
"The positives are definitely creating the chances. The first half wasn’t so bad but we could have been better. We had worked on getting crosses into the box as we felt that could create chances for us and unfortunately we couldn’t convert them.
"We will focus on Friday’s game now and will look hopefully finish the tournament on a high with a good performance."
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Lorcan Callaghan, Luke Nolan, Joe Redmond (Cian Lee 41), Kameron Ledwidge, Ryan Burke, Jack Connolly (Aaron Bolger 53), Richie O’Farrell (Rowan Roache 67), Jordan Doherty (Lee O’Connor 41), Marc Walsh (Callum Thompson 53), Adam Idah (Cian Murphy 67), Cian Hughes (Dominic Peppard 75).
FIXTURES & RESULTS
UEFA U16 Development Tournament
Monday, May 2
Hungary 1-2 Republic of Ireland, Telki, Hungary
Wednesday, May 4
Republic of Ireland 0-2 Austria, Telki, Hungary
Friday, May 6
Slovakia v Republic of Ireland, Telki, Hungary (10.00am Irish) |
