Noel King proud of fighting Irish but 10-man Italy get out of jail

Italy 1 Ireland 0: Noel King last night hailed the courage of his Ireland U21 players after they succumbed to a second-half winner against 10-man Italy in Vicenza.

Ireland looked every bit the side boasting three consecutive wins in their 2017 UEFA qualification campaign but failed to earn the point they deserved due to one lapse on 67 minutes.

Substitute Vittorio Parigini was only on the pitch six minutes before controlling Federico Bernardeschi’s defence-splitting pass, holding off a challenge from Sean Long and lifting the ball beyond the advancing Danny Rogers.