Republic of Ireland 1
New Zealand 1
Netherlands 1
Nigeria 0
Canada 2
Republic of Ireland 0 - 0 Norway
Ireland U21: Ireland held to goalless draw
QPR forward's Ryan Manning and Reece Grego-Cox had the best chances of the game in a dominant second-half spell but Norway held out to claim a point.
Head Coach Noel King stuck with the same team which claimed the impressive 3-1 win in Azerbaijan but it was a frustrating first-half for the home side.
QPR duo Grego-Cox and Manning linked well up front but failed to test the Norwegian goalkeeper Sondre Rossbach throughout the first-half.
Ireland's first real effort came with just under 30 minutes remaining as Derry City forward Ronan Curtis won the ball 30-yards from goal and after a neat turn-off-pace away from Iver Fossum, his shot bounced in front of Rossbach but was well saved.
With 20 minutes remaining, Ireland should have taken the lead. Liverpool's Corey Whelan delivered a fantastic set-piece from the right and Rossbach missed his punch under pressure from Manning but Norway cleared with Declan Rice close to following up.
Curtis fired wide from distance as Ireland continued to press forward in search of a winner which almost came in the 74th minute. Manning's powerful free-kick somehow found it's way into Rossbach's arms and two minutes later, Ireland had strong claims for a penalty turned down after Curtis was brought down in the area.
Ireland's pressure continued to mount as Manning got in down the left to find Danny Kane in the area and after his low effort was saved, Grego-Cox failed to turn the ball home with ten minutes remaining.
Connor Ronan came on with two minutes remaining but unfortunately, Norway were able to hold out to claim a valuable point as Ireland remain unbeaten.
Ireland Under-21s Head Coach Noel King said: "Norway are a good team. They've got a system and they play it well so it was always going to be a difficult match for us.
"I thought we stood up to the test really well and probably deserved to come away with a little bit more from the game. They caused us some problems in the first-half but I thought we dealt with those situations well and we were definitely the better team in the second-half.
"They were chasing the game in terms of the position in the table and we're now sitting on seven points out of nine so we're happy with what we've got so far."
Teams
Republic of Ireland: O'Hara (GK), Kane, Whelan, Donnellan, Sweeney, Cullen (C), Rice, Charsley, Grego-Cox, Manning (Ronan 87), Curtis.
Subs: Bossin (GK), Quigley, Kinsella, Shaughnessy, Mulraney, Delaney.
Norway: Rossbach (GK), Ryerson, Hanche-Olsen, Ajer, Jenssen, Normann (Johnsen 6 (Svendsen 79)), Fossum (C), Thorsby, Risa, Odegaard, Bjordal.
Subs: Wichen (GK), Reitan, Pallesen Knudsen, Zekhnini.
Referee: Luis Miguel Branco Godinho (POR)
Ireland U21s: King wants home advantage to play part
Ireland go into the game top of Group Five in the UEFA European Championships qualifying group having recorded impressive victories over Kosovo and Azerbaijan.
Norway visit Tallaght Stadium tomorrow evening with kick-off at 7.45pm as Ireland look to continue their impressive start ahead of the Monday's qualifier against Israel.
Under-21s Head Coach Noel King said: "It's going to be a tough test but it's one we're all looking forward to. We've started the campaign really well and you can sense that the players are really looking forward to getting back on the pitch.
"Norway are a really good side who have won a bronze medal in the Under-21s European Championships before and they've beat us but I've no doubt that we can get a positive result against them.
"I'm looking forward to this game as much as any game I've ever been involved in with the Under-21s and don't rule out this group of players. We've got plenty of talent in the group and there is plenty of confidence as well.
"Norway are going to be a strong, physical side who can play it long and short, they like to mix it up, so they will present us with problems. They're seeded higher than us but we've got to focus on ourselves."
Tickets for the game will be available on the day of the game, priced at €10 for adults and €5 for children/students/OAPs. Entry is free for FAI season ticket holders, Shamrock Rovers season ticket holders and IT Tallaght students.
With two huge home games coming up this week. King believes home advantage can play a huge part in the game and has urged supporters to get behind the team.
He added: "It would be great to get a good crowd down here and get behind the lads. Home advantage is obviously a big thing in football but especially in international football and I think it could have a huge impact.
"With the way they've started the group, don't rule out this group of players. They've really impressed me so far and hopefully we can continue to develop in these two games.
"You'd want a big crowd to come and drive them on. It definitely gives us that little edge in games. Hopefully the players can give the supporters a performance as well."
TEAM NEWS: Trevor Clarke, Olamide Shopido and Jake Doyle Hayes are all out through injury.
Tactical Lineups
Republic of Ireland
Substitutes
- 16 Liam Bossin (G)
- 12 Joseph Quigley
- 13 Liam Kinsella
- 14 Connor Ronan
- 17 Conor Shaughnessy
- 20 Jake Mulraney
- 21 Ryan Delaney
Coach
Noel King
Norway
Substitutes
- 23 Amund Wichne (G)
- 13 Erlend Reitan
- 14 Fredrik Knudsen
- 16 Dennis Johnsen
- 17 Rafik Zekhnini
- 18 Sander Svendsen
Coach
Leif Gunnar Smerud
Officials
- Referee Luis Godinho
- Assistant Referees Rui Teixeira
- UEFA Delegate Paul Lyon
- Assistant Referee Two Antonio Godinho
- Fourth Official Helder Malheiro
- Referee Observer Draženko Kovačić
Match Statistics
- Republic of Ireland
- Norway
Minute by Minute Commentary