Ireland U17s book place at World Cup for first time

Colin O'Brien's Republic of Ireland Under-17s have booked their place at November's World Cup in Qatar.

It's the first time Ireland have made it to the 48-team tournament at the age grade. They are one of 11 European countries who have qualified, with the competition set to run from 3 to 27 November.

The UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite Phase also acts as qualifiers for the World Cup.

The Boys in Green were in a group with Belgium, Poland and Iceland. They lost 1-0 to the Belgians last Thursday but bounced back by beating Poland 2-0 last Saturday and then hammering Iceland 5-0 today.

Belgium won the group, thus booking their ticket to the Euros, however Ireland are heading for Qatar as one of the best runners-up. Their final standing position of second in the group will see them miss out on the U17 Euros but put them among 11 European qualifiers for the November tournament.

Both Spain and the Netherlands missed out on qualification for the Euros and World Cup.

The Irish side wrapped up their group in style, cruising past the Icelanders thanks to goals from Jaden Umeh (2), Billy Canny, Finn Sherlock and Charles Akinrintoyo.

Colin O'Brien: 'This is a great news story for Irish football'

Speaking after qualification, O'Brien said his side were disappointed to miss out on Euros qualification but stressed his pride at making it to the World Cup.

"We came here with the belief that we could qualify for the Euros," he said.

"We knew there was a double prize at stake, and while we’re disappointed to not get to the European Championships, to reach a World Cup is an amazing achievement for the players and the staff. It’s a great achievement for our country.

"We knew the group would be tight and the squad of players is in a better place than they were in October. I had a good feeling we’d compete for top spot, the defining moment in the Belgium game was their penalty. But I feel we deserved to get to a World Cup. To get to there is a reflection of the monumental effort from the players and staff over the last 11 days."

The Under-17 boss is keen to put the accomplishment into perspective and praised the players' clubs both in Ireland and abroad. Sixteen of the 20-player squad have previously or currently play in the LOI Academy.

"There are very good players up and down this country who work with exceptional coaches," O'Brien added.

"This is a great news story for Irish football and it’s a great day for every person involved with the players’ development and they should take pride they helped them reach a World Cup. No matter the age group the World Cup is a huge event that captures the imagination and attention of the public.

"It shows that when you’re a small country a lot of it comes down to mentality and we knew within the group our mindset was at another level, and we had the quality to go with that. That gave us a chance which the boys went on to accomplish."

Republic of Ireland Men's Under-17 Squad

Goalkeepers: George Moloney (Southampton), Alex Noonan (Shamrock Rovers).

Defenders: Billy Canny (St. Patrick's Athletic), Vincent Leonard (Dundalk), Oisin McDonagh (Venezia), Finn Sherlock (Hoffenheim), Ade Solanke (FC Lorient).

Midfielders: Rory Finneran (Newcastle United), Billy Hayes (St Patrick’s Athletic), Ramon Martos (UD Almeria), Gavin McAteer (Finn Harps), Kian McMahon Brown (Burnley), Grady McDonnell (Club Brugge), Oskar Skoubo Keely (Bohemians).

Forwards: Charles Akinrintayo (Shamrock Rovers), Brody Lee (Shamrock Rovers), Billy O’Neill (Bray Wanderers), Victor Ozhianvuna (Shamrock Rovers), Cillian Tollett (Galway United), Jaden Umeh (Benfica).

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