Spain U-19, the reigning continental champions in the category, secured a spot in the next round of qualifiers for the 2025 European Championship to be held in Romania. Under coach Paco Gallardo, the team competed in Kosovo during the first round of the mini tournament, achieving a 3-0 victory against the Faroe Islands, a 3-4 loss to hosts Kosovo, and a crucial 1-0 win over Austria in the decisive match, finishing with 6 points to progress.
Antoñito Cordero featured in all three matches, starting two and accumulating a total of 197 minutes on the pitch. The Malaguista winger scored the opening goal of the tournament in the match against the Faroe Islands. Meanwhile, Izan Merino played two games, both as a starter. He played the full 90 minutes in the win over the Faroe Islands and the first 45 minutes in the clash against Kosovo.
Ireland U-19 also secured progression in their path to the 2025 European Championship in Romania. With two victories and one draw (7 points), they topped their qualification group, defeating Iceland (6 points), host nation Moldova (2 points), and Azerbaijan (1 point).
Ochoa featured in all three matches for his national team. He came on as a substitute for the final 15 minutes in the 0-0 draw against Moldova. In the 4-0 win over Azerbaijan, he started, scoring a beautiful goal in the 51st minute and providing two assists. He also started in Ireland's final match of the mini tournament, a 1-2 victory over Iceland.
The three MCF Academy players, who were unavailable for the previous league match against Real Zaragoza, have now rejoined the first-team training sessions and will be available for Saturday's match at La Rosaleda against Real Racing Club.
Photo: RFEF
