Courtesy: FAI.ie

Republic of Ireland U21 Futsal team make history with first competitive win

Monday, 21 April 2008

The Republic of Ireland U21 Futsal team completed their first competitive tournament outing with a convincing 4-3 win against an experienced Azerbaijan side to secure a second place finish in their UEFA U21 Futsal Championship qualifying group.

The Irish started tentatively and it wasn’t long before they found themselves 0-2 down with goals from Atakishiyev and Bagir-zade in the 7th and 8th minute respectively.
It was a wake up call for the Irish players and they realised that a quick positive response was required.

The Irish team who were still smarting from their cruel defeat at the hands of hosts
Andorra rolled up their sleeves and began to play a high tempo attacking game.

Shane O’Neill scored an excellent goal following a lightening counter attack to put the Irish back in the frame. When Craig Duggan rounded an Azeri defender and struck a neatly placed goal with the outside of his right foot for the equaliser, it was game on!

The Irish youngsters’ sensed victory was within reach and concerted pressure yielded yet another goal from Duggan when he sweetly drilled the ball past the hapless Azeri keeper. Undoubtedly, the Irish were full value for their half time lead.

The second half saw a controlled and disciplined display from the Irish team as they defended calmly and continued to catch the Azeris with swift counter attacks. This tactic led to Ireland gaining a 4-2 lead and complete control of the game with another great goal from Shane O’Neill. Numerous chances followed for the Irish who were unlucky not to further extend their lead.

With a couple of minutes remaining in the match, Azerbaijan scored a direct free kick from Atakishiyev to set up an interesting final two minutes. However, the Irish were undaunted and continued to play in a calm and constructive way by keeping possession and probing the Azeri defence with great maturity.

Drama unfolded in the final minute and the hugely impressive and influential Ian Byrne was involved in an unfortunate accident which saw him leave the pitch with a suspected broken arm. The game concluded with the Irish winning a 10 metre penalty with seconds remaining but they were unable to convert the opportunity. And so, the Republic of Ireland deservedly recorded their first official competitive Futsal win.

A delighted Irish team manager Derek O’Neill said:

“This was an historic first competitive win by the players and no more than they deserved considering the way they approached the tournament this week. They finally had the slice of luck that eluded them in the previous two matches and were full value for their win. They showed great strength of character to come back from two goals down and win the game. Overall, a second placed finish on goal difference is encouraging and gives us an appetite for more. We know that if we continue to improve at our current rate that we will be knocking on the door of the finals next time around!”

-> Have a look at some pictures from Andorra! Click here!








Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com