PREVIEW | U17 EUROs | Ireland v Wales
COLIN O’BRIEN: FAI under 17 head coach
Ireland will be looking to bounce back from a difficult afternoon against Poland which saw the young Boys in Green defeated 5-1 in their opening game.
The solitary Irish goal came from Shamrock Rovers’ Ike Orazi who, at 15 years 11 months and six days old, became the youngest scorer at the finals so far.
Colin O’Brien’s team face a Wales side who, like Ireland, were unbeaten in qualification. Wales navigated past Croatia and Sweden in the first round of qualification to reach the Elite Round where a draw against Montenegro saw them reach their first ever U17 European Championships
Conditions on Saturday are expected to be far warmer than earlier in week with temperatures set to reach 25C at the Puskás Akadêmia Pancho Arena.
Match Details
Fixture: Ireland MU17 v Wales MU17
Date: Saturday, May 20
KO time: 3.30pm (Irish time)
Stadium: Puskás Akadêmia Pancho Arena - Felcsut
Where to watch: RTÉ News Channel & RTÉPlayer
Latest team news: There are no injury concerns for Ireland.
Ticket news: Tickets for the game and the remaining tournament fixtures can be purchased here TICKETS
Ireland Men's Under-17 Head Coach Colin O'Brien said: "I know the players were hurting and there were a lot of lessons to be learned. We are far better than what we showed and you get punished at this level. But they are a great group of players who will be determined to bounce back and it’s now about getting something from games one and two.”
Ireland Men's Under-17 Goalkeeper Jason Healy said: "It was a difficult opening game but this is tournament football and the games come thick and fast. It’s a strong group of players and if you see the two phases it took to qualify it shows we do deserve to be here.
"We appreciate all the support and all the people that are coming over. We’ll do our all for the country and we won’t go down without a fight.”
Ireland Under-17 Squad
Goalkeepers: Joe Collins (Bohemians), Jason Healy (Waterford)
Defenders: Stanley Ashbee (Hull City), Daniel Babb (UCD), Jake Grante (Crystal Palace), Kaylem Harnett (Wexford FC), Cory O’Sullivan (Shamrock Rovers), Ade Solanke (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Romeo Akachukwu (Waterford), Rhys Bartley (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Luke Kehir (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Matthew Moore (Cork City), Danny McGrath (Bohemians), Taylor Mooney (Bohemians), Freddie Turley (Shamrock Rovers)
Forwards: Mason Melia (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Matthew Murray (Cork City), Ike Orazi (Shamrock Rovers), Nickson Oksoun (Bohemians), Naj Razi (Shamrock Rovers)
