I know its 'only' U17 level but disappointing to see us lose to the likes of Greece and more so unable to beat Luxembourg. Notably not many of the team tied to the bigger clubs in the UK (admittedly this may not necessarily be a bad thing).
Republic of Ireland 0-1 Greece
Sean McCaffrey’s Republic of Ireland under-17 side are effectively out of the running for a place in the elite phase of Uefa qualifiers after defeat to Greece on Wednesday evening.
A 1-1 draw with Luxembourg followed by a 5-1 win over group minnows Andorra left Ireland well-placed ahead of their final mini-tournament outing.
But a 1-0 defeat to the Greeks in Beggen consigned the Irish youngsters to a third-placed finish – and in need of a huge stroke of luck if they are to keep their interest in the competition alive.
The Greeks and Luxembourg claimed the two automatic qualification spots, with Sean McCaffrey’s side in third.
And with just two third-placed finishers set to advance to next spring’s second phase of qualifiers, Ireland look to be out of the running – with Georgia and Russia already boasting superior records as third-placed finishers.
The only goal in Beggen came after just four minutes, with Tachmazidis beating Finn Harps goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher from inside the area.
Stephen McDonnell, Jeff Hendrick – the scorer of a hat-trick against Andorra – and Ryan Connolly all came close before the break while Eoin Wearen twice failed to find the target from decent opportunities after half-time.
Republic of Ireland under-17: Ciaran Gallagher (Finn Harps), David O’Leary (College Corinthians), Danny Joyce (Reading), Anthony O’Connor (Blackburn Rovers), Eoghan Osbourne (Drogheda United), Sean Skelly (Belvedere), Stephen McDonnell (Celtic), Eoin Wearen (West Ham United), Jeff Hendrick (Derby County), Michael Rafter (Colchester United), Ryan Connolly (Derby County). Subs: Patrick McEleney (Foyle Harps) for O’Leary (69 mins); John Egan (Greenwood) for Connolly (77 mins).
