Experienced Italians outclass Ireland in U21 qualifier  

Riccardo Sottil, the Fiorentina striker on loan at Cagliari buried the opener two minutes before the break

European U21 Championship qualifier: Italy 2 Republic of Ireland 0

The Republic of Ireland will likely have to navigate their way to next year’s Euro U21 finals as one of the best runners-up after top seeds Italy ruined Jim Crawford’s first match at the helm this evening.