"Play as well as that against other teams and we can beat anyone in the play-offs," said McCarthy. Whether the Republic qualify for next summer's finals or not, there are significant reasons to be optimistic. The last time there was so much hype around a Republic of Ireland youth team was the 1997 and 1998 era under Brian Kerr. Kerr led the Irish to third place in the Under-20 World Cup in 1997, losing 1-0 to Argentina in the semi-finals. The following year he guided them to Under-16 and Under-18 European Championship glory - beating Italy and Germany in the respective finals.

Source: BBC November 19, 2019 00:33 UTC