Ireland 1

Azerbaijan 0

- Paul Fennessy reports from Tallaght Stadium

IRELAND U21S BEAT Azerbaijan 1-0 at Tallaght Stadium this evening with a dramatic last-minute winner as Shaun Donnellan converted Ryan Manning’s delivery from close range.

The result represents a boost to Noel King’s side’s Euro qualification hopes, as the Boys in Green move to within three points of group leaders Germany while still having a game in hand.

Prior to the goal, Declan Rice, fresh from representing the senior side in Turkey, saw a shot from the edge of the area hit the roof of the net, before an earlier Donnellan header was cleared off the line.

Ireland had dominated possession and territory in the first half, but offered little in the way of incision in the final third.

Wingers Ronan Curtis and Jake Mulraney both had promising moments, but couldn’t produce the killer pass or finish each time they got near the penalty area.

Ireland’s build-up play was too slow and ponderous, with attackers Reece Grego-Cox and Ryan Manning left isolated and uninvolved more often than not in the first 45.

Curtis and Grego-Cox both had pot shots off target in the opening 10 minutes, but goalkeeper Kamran Ibrahimov did not have a save of note to make in the first half.

The visitors generally looked to be playing for a point, as they sat back and soaked up the pressure, but there was the odd moment of concern for the Irish defence.

Gismat Aliyev’s inswinging free kick had to be tipped over the bar by Kieran O’Hara on 16 minutes, while shortly before half-time, Mahir Madatov put in a dangerous cross that Ramil Sheydaev failed to control.

It was Ireland who finished the half stronger, however. Manning started coming deeper in order to influence the play more, and his shot just before the break was parried into the path of Grego-Cox, whose finish from a tight angle was comfortably saved by Ibrahimov.

Ireland improved in the second half and had their best spell up to that point just before the hour mark. Mulraney got on the end of a Manning cross and appeared to be taken down as he controlled the ball, but the referee waved play on.

Manning then had a free kick tipped over the bar, before the QPR man provided the assist, only for Donnellan’s header to be cleared off the line by Sertan Tashgin.

Olamide Shodipo replaced Mulraney with a half-hour remaining, and caused problems down the visitors’ left.

With 10 minutes remaining, the winger’s cross fell to Rice, whose shot from the edge of the area went just over.

Substitute Ilkin Muradov then almost won it on the counter-attack late on for Azerbaijan, as his powerful shot hit the cross-bar.

But there was still late drama to come. Substitute Ronan Hale’s header from a Manning free kick came off the post, but Donnellan was in the right place to help the ball over the line in the dying seconds to send the home fans wild.

Ireland: Kieran O’Hara, Corey Whelan, Danny Kane (Ronan Hale 82), Ryan Sweeney, Shaun Donnellan; Declan Rice, Josh Cullen, Ronan Curtis (Joe Quigley 89), Jake Mulraney (Olamide Shodipo 55); Ryan Manning, Reece Grego-Cox.

Azerbaijan: Kamran Ibrahimov, Sertan Tashgin, Anton Krivotsyuk, Bahlul Mustafazade, Elvin Sarkarov, Gismat Aliyev, Budag Nasirov (Ilkin Muradov 64), Ozan Can Koekcue (Ehtitan Shahverdiyev 57), Hajiaga Hajiyev; Ramil Sheydaev,  Mahir Madatov.

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