Oisin Cooney and Luke O’Donnell help Ireland U-17s to brilliant win in Belgium

Oisin Cooney and Luke O’Donnell played their part as the Ireland Men’s U-17s finished their friendly double-header against Belgium with an impressive 1-0 win at the Belgium Football Centre in Trubize.

In the second of the two fixtures on Monday, William Martin of Odense Boldklub scored the game’s only goal in the 10th minute following an excellently worked team goal that opened up the hosts.

Cooney, the former Clonmany Shamrocks goalkeeper currently at Finn Harps played in the second fixture and Buncrana native O’Donnell, who is with Derry City, featured in both.

The game-winning play started with Cooney. He played it out to captain Luca Cailloce, who shifted it to his defensive teammate Kaylem Harnett. Wexford’s Harnett slid a pass down the right to Jaden Umeh whose ball was swept home by Martin for the opener.

It was almost 2-0 to the young Boys in Green when O’Donnell stung the fingertips of Theo Radelet when he struck a sweet free-kick that was matched well by the Belgium stopper.

Ireland continued to apply the pressure and it took a last-ditch tackle from Nunzio Ongena-Engwanda to deny Jaden Umeh from running in on goal and making it 2-0 before half-time.

In the second half there were multiple changes from both teams with the game becoming a disjointed affair. But for Cooney it could have been 1-1 but Cooney was able to deny a goalbound-effort to palm it away from goal. 

The same teams had played out a stalemate on Saturday but it would be Ireland who left with the victory in a tightly fought affair between the sides.

The game was the final part of preparation for Colin O’Brien’s team who are in U17 EURO qualification action next month when they take on Armenia, Iceland and Switzerland at Turner’s Cross in Cork.

Belgium 0-0 Ireland
Belgium: Emile Doucoure, Joyeux Masanka Bungi (Adriano Mansala, half-time), Zaid Bafdili (Nunzio Egwanda-Ongena, half-time), Konstantinos Karetsas (Samuel Nibombe, half-time), Lenn Minh Tren (Lex Predhomme, half-time), Luca Dalla Costa (Chike Macayle Van de Den, half-time), Josue Banewa Grelaud (Jeff Godelaine, half-time), Mamady Diawara (Saido Nourou Toure, half-time), Alexander Reumers (Sebastian Murru, half-time), Wilson Da Costa (Viktor Noi Vidarsson, half-time), Michiel Cauwel (Noah Makembo, half-time)
Ireland: Joe Collins, Kaylem Harnett, Luca Cailloce, Taylor McCarthy (James Roche, 62), Harry McGlinchey (Fiachra Coffey, 62), Luke O’Donnell (Rory Finneran, half-time), Sean Moore (Matthew Moore, 62), Aaron Ochoa Moloney (Cathal O’Sullivan, 71), Ike Orazi (William Martin, 62), Matthew Murray (Kyle Fitzgerald, 45’), Mason Melia (Jaden Umeh, 71’)

Belgium 0-1 Ireland
Belgium: Radelet, Ongena-Engwanda, Nibombe (C), Predhomme, Masanka, Bafdili, Karetsas, Trann, Mamady, Reumers, Da Costa. 
Ireland: Cooney, Harnett (McCarthy, half-time), Cailloce (C) (McGlinchey, half-time), Roche, Coffey, Finneran (M. Moore, 58), O’Donnell (S. Moore, 63), O’Sullivan (Murray 58), Fitzgerald (Orazi 58), Umeh (Ocho Moloney 58), Martin (Melia, 58)

Belgium 0-1 Ireland
Belgium: Radelet, Ongena-Engwanda, Nibombe (C), Predhomme, Masanka, Bafdili, Karetsas, Trann, Mamady, Reumers, Da Costa. 
Ireland: Cooney, Harnett (McCarthy, half-time), Cailloce (C) (McGlinchey, half-time), Roche, Coffey, Finneran (M. Moore, 58), O’Donnell (S. Moore, 63), O’Sullivan (Murray 58), Fitzgerald (Orazi 58), Umeh (Ocho Moloney 58), Martin (Melia, 58)