Germany shake off gutsy Ireland

Germany U21 2 Ireland U21 0

Out of the race to qualify before this fixture, manager Noel King fielded a young side with a eye on the next campaign and they withstood the German barrage in the opening half. They might even, with better finishing, went ahead by the break but Germany killed the tie soon after, with two goals within five minutes of the restart.

Philipp Hofmann, who at 21 was three years older than some of the visiting players, headed the opener on 47 minutes before his namesake Jonas ghosted into the box to curl a shot past Ian Lawlor in the Irish goal.