Republic of Ireland completed a perfect UEFA Regions Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over hosts Bulgaria.
Gerry Davis made a number of changes before the match with qualification for the finals tournament already secured but Ireland secured their third win from three with Stephen Chambers’ free-kick in the 70th minute.
Bonagee United’s Jack Parke was handed a first start alongside Cockhill Celtic’s Lee McColgan in the defence.
Ireland had secured qualification thanks to victories over San Marino and an emphatic 4-0 win over Romania on Friday ahead of the final match against hosts Bulgaria today.
The Amateurs can now look forward to next Summer’s finals at a European venue yet to be confirmed but on the displays in the group qualifier, Gerry Davis’ group will be confident of their chances in 2023.
With the recent friendly matches against Northern Ireland and Wales included, Ireland have won seven matches in a row, conceding just one goal during this special run from the Ireland Amateur side.
Republic of Ireland: Gary Cunningham (GK); Jack Parke, Lee McColgan, Jack McMullan, Glen Daly, Aaron Humphries (AJ O’Connor 63), Stephen Chambers, Nathan Broderick, Jimmy Carr, Sam Burgess (Deiric Hyland 81), Eoin Hayes (Eoin Murphy 51).
