Crawford full of praise for hat-trick man Vata

Hat-trick hero Rocco Vata, a brace from Sinclair Armstrong and well-taken finishes from Andy Moran and Armstrong Okoflex gave Jim Crawford's men a morale-boosting victory.

BIGGER FISH TO FRY: Rocco Vata of the Republic of Ireland in action against Mattia Sancisi of San Marino. Pic: Roberto Bregani/Sportsfile

San Marino 0 Ireland 7

A record breaking, ruthless Republic of Ireland under-21s earned a valuable three points in the race for Euro 2025 qualification and manager Jim Crawford was full of praise for his troops as they sit second in Group A, just a solitary point behind Italy - who had a 2-0 win in Latvia.