Mohan hails five-star display from his troops

REPUBLIC of Ireland Under 19s boss Tom Mohan believes there’s more to come from his side as they began their UEFA Under 19 European Championship Elite Round campaign with an outstanding emphatic win over Romania in Krasnodar, Russia. Two goals each from Jonathan Afolabi and Will Smallbone, and a Romanian own goal, ensured a healthy win for the visitors and an even healthier goal difference, in a group where only one team qualifies for this summer’s finals in Armenia. It was a dream start for Ireland, with both Afolabi and Smallbone finding the back of the net inside the opening 11 minutes. With the two goals behind them, Ireland began to boss the game and Afolabi and Smallbone scored again in the second half either side of an own-goal from Romanian winger Claudiu Petrila. With 20 minutes left to go, Brian Maher saved a penalty from Romania’s Vladimir Screciu after Raoul Baicu was fouled, to ensure Ireland finished the game with a clean sheet. Mohan was thrilled with the victory and said it wasn’t as straightforward as it looked. ‘The team did very well today. We were clinical with our chances early on. It was a very mature performance from the team in both halves,’ said the Ireland coach. ‘Romania weren’t as easy opponents as the 5-0 scoreline suggests. They were very difficult to play against.’ Ireland are back in action on Saturday, with a match against Azerbaijan at 9am (Irish time), and Mohan is expecting a tough clash. ‘We have to park our own game now and focus on Azerbaijan. It’s a big game for us. We can build on today’s performance, but there are areas to improve in.’