New-Look Ireland U-21s Seal Year with 3-0 Win Over Sweden

Ireland’s U-21 team ended the year on a high note with a hard-fought friendly win over a seasoned Sweden side in Marbella. After a tough 2-0 loss to Sweden earlier in the week, Jim Crawford’s young team bounced back with a 3-2 victory, thanks to goals from Jamie Mullins, Rocco Vata, and Mark O’Mahony. Sweden had initially equalized twice, with both goals coming from set-pieces: Peter Amoran’s header and Lukas Bjorklund’s clever flick. However, the Irish held strong for an impressive win.

The victory came after Ireland’s narrow failure to qualify for Euro 2025, and attention has already turned to the Euro 2027 qualifiers. Several players, including Vata, Mullins, O’Mahony, and Dundalk’s Jad Hakiki, impressed in this match, giving Crawford plenty to consider for the upcoming qualification campaign, which begins in September.

Crawford gave 10 players their U-21 debuts in Thursday’s match, and there were more first caps here, with Aaron Maguire (Spurs goalkeeper) and David Okagbue (Stoke City defender) starting the game in Marbella. Ireland were led by right-back Connor O’Brien, who had made his competitive debut for the U-21s against Italy last month.

Ireland’s wingers, Hakiki and Vata, were key early on, with Vata forcing a save from Swedish goalkeeper Filip Sidklev in the 11th minute. Hakiki soon came close to scoring, hitting the crossbar with a cross, before Vata’s follow-up was blocked. Ireland broke the deadlock in the 15th minute when Mullins finished off a well-executed team move, dispossessing Swedish captain Matteo Perez Vinlof and combining with Hakiki, Vata, and O’Mahony to score.

Sweden had their chances, with Amin Boudri’s brilliant pass setting up a shot for Richie Omorowa, but he missed the target. Sweden equalized in the 34th minute when Amoran scored from a well-delivered free-kick by Jonas Rouhi. Despite a couple of near-misses from Sweden before halftime, Ireland quickly regained the lead after the break.

Just two minutes into the second half, Ireland made it 2-1, with Mullins and Vata linking up for a neat goal. Three minutes later, Ireland extended their lead when Vata assisted Jacob Slater, whose cross was turned in by O’Mahony for his first U-21 goal. Ireland nearly scored again when Glory Nzingo’s goal was ruled offside.

Sweden replied with another set-piece goal, as Bjorklund finished off Rouhi’s free-kick to make it 3-2. Ireland continued to press, with substitute Tommy Lonergan coming close to scoring on two occasions. Despite some late pressure from Sweden, the Irish defense held firm to secure the win.

The final score was 3-2, with Ireland finishing the year with a positive result. The U-21s will now look ahead to the challenges of the Euro 2027 qualifiers.