The Republic of Ireland Under-21s secured a huge three points in their bid to qualify for the 2023 UEFA Under-21 European Championships as they defeated qualification rivals Sweden 2-0 at the Borås Arena in Borås, Sweden on Tuesday evening.
Goals in each half from Ross Tierney and substitute Tyreik Wright were enough to earn Ireland the victory which sees them rise to third in Group F but crucially they are just one point behind Sweden in second but still have a game in hand.
The young Boys in Green took the lead thanks to a smart finish by Ross Tierney.The Motherwell midfielder was also involved in the build-up as he laid the ball off to Gavin Kilkenny on the right before continuing his run into the penalty area.His clever movement meant he was in the right place when Kilkenny’s cross was sliced by the defender but Tierney still had a lot to do and he did it brilliantly to get his foot over the ball and drill it past the keeper from close range.
In the last minute of normal time, Ireland sealed a massive victory thanks to substitute Wright.A long kick-out from Maher was headed on by Joshua Kayode and into the path of the Cork native but after seeing his initial effort saved, he remained calm and slotted home the rebound to seal a memorable result for Jim Crawford’s side.Next up for the Republic of Ireland under 21s are home games against Bosnia and Herzegovina (June 3rd) and Montenegro (June 6th) before an away trip to Italy (June 14th).Republic of Ireland: Maher; McEntee, O’Brien, McGuinness, Bagan; O’Connor, Coventry, Kilkenny; Tierney, Odubeko (Kayode 70), O’Neill (Wright 64).
