CORK CITY U19s have claimed a historic goalless draw in Finland against HJK Helsinki this evening in the first leg of their first round Uefa Youth League tie.
The SSE Airtricity League U19 champions are Ireland’s first representative in Europe’s elite youth competition, and will be hopeful they can progress to the next round after tonight’s result.
The Leesiders dominated the game, and came agonisingly close to bringing an advantage back to Turner’s Cross but the crossbar denied Kevin Taylor from a free-kick.
Cian Coleman and Conor McCarthy also went close but their efforts were well saved by Robin Kallman in the Helsinki goal, with Alex Byrne’s shot then going narrowly wide, but manager Stephen Bermingham was full of praise of his side after the game.
“It’s a fantastic result and we’re absolutely delighted with the performance. It’s great for the players and the club, but I think to come away to a strong side like Helsinki is a great signal for the entire league and under-age set-up in Ireland,” Bermingham said.
“It was a tough game for us, no question. We created a lot of opportunities in the first-half and could have gone ahead. We dominated the first 20 minutes in the second-half but they got on top in the closing stages which is always going to happen.
“We went with a game-plan after doing work on Helsinki and I think they found us very difficult to deal with. We had chances to win it and that is a great signal for us in the second leg.
“I think playing in front of a packed Turner’s Cross could almost be worth a goal for us, a huge help. We’re hopeful the support will come out and I’m sure the Helsinki team won’t quite know what to expect. It will be a huge advantage and we’re very much looking forward to it.”
The second leg will take place on Wednesday 19 October, with the winners meeting either APOEL Nicosia or Roma in the next round.
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