BARRY COFFEY CAME off the bench to help send Ireland into the semi-finals of the U19 European Championships in Armenia this evening, as Tom Mohan’s side secured a last-four tie against holders Portugal.
The Celtic midfielder, who featured twice for Neil Lennon’s first team during their pre-season tour earlier this summer, was the match-winner for Ireland as they defeated Czech Republic 2-1 at the FFA Academy Stadium in Yerevan.
After drawing their opening game against Norway and slipping to defeat to France, Ireland knew they needed a positive result from their final Group B outing to progress, and they did just that.
Jonathan Afolabi’s brilliant individual effort put the Boys in Green in the ascendancy before the break and although they were pegged back with just 11 minutes left on the clock, Coffey popped up at the other end to seal victory.
Mohan’s side will now face holders Portugal in Wednesday’s semi-final clash.
Republic of Ireland 2-1 Czech Republic Barry Coffey puts Ireland back in front! https://t.co/G9OtcGyz62 pic.twitter.com/gGNMz7WW5w
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 21, 2019
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