Hubert wonder goal denies battling Irish place in final

A WONDER goal in time added on means that it’s Belgium, and not the Republic of Ireland, who will go through to the final of the U23 International Challenge Trophy.

It was rough justice for Pat Fenlon’s team who had already come back to draw level with 10 minutes to go in a game in which, overall, they were the better side. 1-1 would have been enough for the Irish but skipper David Hubert’s bolt from the blue, shortly after Conor Kenna had been sent off, gave the visitors the crucial edge right at the death. The Belgians meet either England or Italy next year in the final.

A combination of Manchester United v Celtic on the box and a bitterly cold night meant the fireside fans stayed away in droves from Dalymount Park where Fenlon’s team lined up in a 4-5-1 formation with Cork City’s Denis Behan as the willing target man supported on the flanks by Bohemians’ Killian Brennan and Galway United’s fast-rising star Jay O’ Shea. Up against them was a coltish Belgian side drawn from the ranks of their U19 and U21 international sides.