The Republic of Ireland Men's Under-19s were edged out 1-0 in the second of a double-header of friendlies against Iceland in Spain's Pinatar Arena.

The Icelandic team won thanks to a goal from Adolf Dai Birgisson in the 56th minute.

In searing temperatures, neither team created a meaningful chance in the first half, as both teams were locked in a midfield battle. The first half was a quiet affair for both goalkeepers with the heat impacting the flow of the game.

It would take until the second half for the deadlock to be broken. Dai Birgisson scored the game's only goal with a low drive inside the Irish penalty area that beat Jimmy Storer.

In the 75th minute, Nathan Fraser, a second-half substitute for Ireland, came close to equalising when he met a brilliant knockdown in the area, but his shot went over the bar.

Ireland pressed for a goal, with Fraser providing some excellent play down the right-wing, sending the ball into the box for Jad Hakiki, but his shot went just wide of the post.

The MU19s will now meet for a number of training camps over the summer before they return to playing action in September.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Tom Mohan was upbeat about his side during the week, he said: "The two games were a really good test for us. We won the first game 3-0 and then we just couldn't breakdown Iceland to get a result today and to be fair to Iceland they played well.

"Overall it's been a positive week and we've got to see a good number of players and also to get to know the boys who were in with us for the first time.

"There's a good dynamic with this group and me and my staff are pleased with what we've seen this week. We were able to try out a couple of systems to see what or what didn't suit us and from a positive side we created a lot of chances in the games.

"We'll be meeting up for a number of training camps before September so there's a lot of football to be played before the qualifiers."

Republic of Ireland: Storer (GK) (Owen 64), Brooks, Golding, Okagbue (Grehan 74), O’Reilly, McManus, Ferizaj (O’Mahony 74), Coleman (Fraser 64), Zefi (Ryan 64), Mullins (Murphy 64), Arubi (Hakiki 64).

Iceland: Blöndal Petersson (GK), Aðalsteinsson, Gíslason, Karlsson, Jörundsson, Birgisson, Mikaelsson, Guðmundsson, Nökkvason, Jónsson, Thorbjörnsson Stöle.

Referee: Marcos Navarro Quiñonero (Spain)

International Friendly Results

Wednesday, June 1 | Republic of Ireland MU19 3-0 Iceland MU19, Pinatar Arena, Pinatar, Spain
Saturday, June 4 | Republic of Ireland MU19 0-1 Iceland MU19, Pinatar Arena, Pinatar, Spain