Ireland were beaten finalists in today's annual UEFA UNITY EURO Cup competition following a stunning run to the final in Frankfurt.

The team made up of eight refugees, who now call Ireland home, and three non-refugees made it to the final against Finland conceding just once and overcoming, Belgium, Northern Ireland, Malta and the Netherlands on the way.

Ireland Under-21 Head Coach Jim Crawford, who is the team's ambassador, joined FAI Development Officer for the South and South East Inner City Jonathan Tormey (Team Head Coach) and TUSLA's Mick Byrne (Assistant Coach) for the tournament in Germany.

The tournament is an invitee only competition and celebrates those nations who have helped to provide opportunities to those seeking refuge in their country. It was developed alongside UEFA & the UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency).

It has doubled in size with 16 teams competing to become the champions representing Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the European Union.

Ireland were drawn in Group C and kicked-off their route to the final with a 5-0 win over Belgium. This was followed by a 4-1 win against neighbours Northern Ireland and then a 1-0 victory versus Malta that ensured Ireland's passage to the semi-final to play the Netherlands. The Boys & Girls in Green and their Dutch opponents couldn't be separated at full-time with it ending 0-0 but Ireland would go on to win 4-3 on penalties to advance to the final.

In the final they were edged out 2-1 by the Finnish however they significantly improved on last year’s sixth-place finish as they ended the tournament as runners-up.