Andrew Moran of Republic of Ireland reacts to a missed chance during the UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier match between Republic of Ireland and Norway at Turner’s Cross in Cork. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
‘Okay, we conceded a goal in injury-time the other night, which was a foul. But there is nothing we can do about it now, so let’s dust ourselves down, re-focus and go and deliver against Italy. This group have already shown how resilient they are, in dealing with those moments of adversity.’
Crawford has a full squad to pick from, with Bristol City striker Sinclair Armstrong returning from suspension.
And midfielder Andy Moran, on loan at Stoke from Brighton, feels that the players have put Friday’s disappointment, where they were seconds away from a play-off spot, behind them.
‘We had a full reset since we were here. It was a tough one to take. The dressing room was distraught after the game. But we know it’s still in our hands.
‘We’re just looking forward to this match,’ said Moran, who reckons the players have grown and developed through this eventful campaign.
‘I think everyone individually at their club, from when we started the campaign, are playing at a higher level now, and it is starting to show the quality that we have got in the squad, and we have put in some really good performances over the campaign.
‘With players playing regularly at club level, they are getting used to playing big games, and you can see that in our performances against these big teams.
‘We are not shell-shocked when we meet them.’
It will take probably the biggest result in the history of the Irish under-21s to top the group this evening.
But the confidence exhibited by Crawford and Moran yesterday suggests they are not stewing on what happened in Cork, and believe they can cause a major upset in the northern Italian city where James Joyce lived for over a decade.
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Publish date : 2024-10-15 01:23:00
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