Mason Melia dragged Ireland to an ugly win Vs Moldova.
Ireland kicked off their quest to reach the 2027 U21 European Championships with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Moldova.
Two goals from LOI poster boy Mason Melia secured the victory, but only after an early Moldovan opener.
As the scoreline suggests, it was a far from comfortable opening game for Jim Crawford’s men.
Mihai Lupan of Petrocub Hincesti opened the scoring for the hosts; delivering a quality lifted finish for his second goal of the campaign after a long ball over the top caught the Irish defence off guard
It would be unfair to say the Moldovan’s first half play didn’t warrant a goal, with Ireland really struggling to get a grip in the game.
Much of Ireland’s attacking threat came from set pieces, with Sean Grehan having the best of the chances.
The visitors eventually found parity after Jad Hadiki smartly won the ball in midfield and drove at the Moldovan defence before delivering a low cross to give Mason Melia the easiest of finishes – a goal made in the League of Ireland.
Ireland may have started the second half with more urgency, but still struggled to create clear cut opportunities, with Rocco Vata looking brightest as he fashioned two chances of his own but failed to convert either.
The newly adopted 4-4-2 system relied heavily on progressing the ball through the flanks, while Mark O’Mahony and Melia looked unfamiliar playing in a two-striker system with each other.
Despite this, Ireland would find a winner as substitute Harry Vaughan dispossessed the Moldovan defender in a dangerous position and squared for Melia to tap home for his third goal in two games at this level.
A disjointed performance in the end, which can be excused considering the poor pitch and a lack of familiarity and chemistry between players. The latter to be expected given it is the first competitive game of a new squad cycle.
Andorra, who have lost their first two games to Moldova and Kazakhstan, provide the next challenge for Crawford’s side on Tuesday in Tallaght.
I would expect some changes with Vata limping off late in the day and a return to the tried and tested 4-2-3-1 definitely on the cards.
Ireland Radar 