Northern Ireland men’s Under-19s produced another encouraging performance as they held Wales to a goalless draw at the international friendly at Marbella Football Center in Spain on Monday.
Competition: International friendly match
Scoreline: Northern Ireland U19s 0-0 Wales U19s
Venue: Marbella Football Center, Costa del Sol, Spain
Date: 5 October 2026
Team news:
The result rounded off a positive week for the young Northern Ireland side, who are using the Marbella camp as preparation for the second round of UEFA Under-19 European Championship qualifying later this autumn.
Having narrowly lost to Belgium earlier in the week, Northern Ireland followed that performance with a disciplined and increasingly confident display against Wales, showing plenty of promise at both ends of the pitch.
How it happened
The opening half was closely contested, with both sides creating opportunities without being able to find a breakthrough.
Northern Ireland looked composed in possession, with Coran Madden and Luke Hawe providing a strong platform in midfield. Jahmi Kellyman came close to opening the scoring as the young side began to find space in the Welsh defence.
Half-time: Northern Ireland U19s 0-0 Wales U19s
Northern Ireland stepped up the pressure after the interval, creating a number of opportunities from both open play and set pieces.
George Feeney thought he had broken the deadlock when he found the target, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
At the other end, Northern Ireland remained resolute, with Shane McGarry particularly impressive after moving into a left centre-half role. His composed performance helped ensure Wales were restricted to limited opportunities as Northern Ireland continued to look the more threatening side.
Luke Bellingham was introduced in the latter stages and made an immediate impact, producing a tremendous save in the dying moments to preserve the clean sheet and ensure the game finished level.
The draw completes an encouraging camp for Northern Ireland, with performances against two strong opponents providing valuable preparation ahead of the UEFA Under-19 European Championship qualifying campaign.
Manager Gareth McAuley was happy with his side’s display:
“This was another impressive performance with a number of players continuing to develop through the international pathway. There were several positive signs for the future and this is a group continues to progress towards senior international football.”
Full-time: Northern Ireland U19s 0-0 Wales U19s
Line-ups
Northern Ireland:
Dan O’Keefe (GK), Shea McGarry, Callum Anderson, Calum Leacock (C), Jay Mcevoy, Coran Madden, Joel Kerr, Jahmi Kellyman, Ben Wilson, Luke Hawe, Coist Walker.
Wales:
Thomas Wright, GK), Alex Godfrey, Jameson Blackmore, Ashton Sizer, Noah Williams (C), Milo Robinson, Lennon Moss, Axcel Donczew, Will Grainger, Louie Bradbury, Ollie Dewsbury Moreno.
