Ireland U21’s open with victory over Malaysia

THE first match of the Intercontinental Cup finished with the Republic of Ireland U21 team securing their first points of the competition.

A brace from Michael Collins followed by the clincher from captain, Stephen Ward, were enough to see the Irish home against a battling Malaysian team who struck back late on through Mohammad Safee Mohammad Sali.

Manager Don Givens was pleased with how the game went. He said: “The result is a great start for us in the tournament. We had a young, inexperienced team out on the pitch and they performed well to get the three points.”