Germany U19 3
Ireland U19 2
IRELAND’S HOPES OF qualifying for this summer’s European U19 Championships ended this morning despite Paul Doolin’s side coming agonisingly close to beating defending champions Germany.
In the second game of the Elite Qualifying Round, the Boys in Green trailed shortly after the interval but staged a dramatic comeback as goals from Jack Hallahan and then Joel Coustrain turned the game on its head.
But Germany showed all their quality in the final stages to score twice, including a 92nd minute winner, to cruelly deny Ireland a famous victory in Sandhausen.
It leaves Doolin’s charges without a point, following Thursday’s opening game defeat to Czech Republic, in Group 2.
The eight group winners secure a place in July’s Championships which take place in Greece.
Ireland conclude their campaign on Tuesday when they face Slovakia at the Carl-Benz Stadium in Mannheim (11am Irish time).
GERMANY: Funk, Klünter, Kijewski (Parker 46), Klostermann, Kehrer (Föhrenbach 20), Amiri, Gaudino, Rizzo, Sané, Christiansen, Barry (Cueto 66).
IRELAND: Bossin, Baba, Kelleher, Grego-Cox (Coustrain 46), Charsley, Manning, McGrath (Stokes 77), Heaney, Cullen, Mulhall, Hallahan (Goldsmith 85).
