Northern Ireland men’s Under-19s produced an impressive performance against Belgium despite narrowly going down 2-1 in today’s international friendly at Marbella Football Centre in Spain.
Competition
International friendly match
Scoreline
Northern Ireland U19s 1-2 Belgium U19s
Venue: Marbella Football Center, Costa Del Sol, Spain
Date: 2 October 2026
Team news:
The match formed part of Northern Ireland’s preparations for the second round of UEFA U19 European Championship qualifying later this autumn.
Under-19s manager Gareth McAuley selected a 22-player squad for the trip to Spain, with Northern Ireland set to face Switzerland, North Macedonia and Malta in League B Group 5. North Macedonia will host the mini tournament from 11 to 17 November.
How it happened
Northern Ireland made an assertive start and immediately looked to take the game to their opponents.
Their positive approach was rewarded after 13 minutes when George Feeney showed excellent pace down the right before cutting the ball back to Sid Eldred, who confidently finished to put Northern Ireland ahead.
The team continued to impress throughout the opening period, combining good attacking play with a disciplined performance out of possession as they worked hard to restrict Belgium’s opportunities, who equalised before the break.
Half-time: Northern Ireland U19s 1-1 Belgium U19s
Northern Ireland continued to take the game to Belgium after the interval, with Jay McEvoy and Shane McGarry prominent as McAuley’s side continued to play with confidence and intensity.
Belgium eventually turned the game around with two second-half goals, but Northern Ireland remained competitive throughout and could take considerable encouragement from a performance against strong opposition.
McAuley was pleased with the application and quality shown by his young side.
“The lads were exceptional, particularly out of possession. We had one training session and the effort levels were high. The match performance was really strong.
“We asked for understanding and belief and that’s exactly what we saw. Yes, we lost the game but we have a lot to build on with this young, talented group.”
Despite the final result, there were plenty of positives for Northern Ireland to take. Next up is Wales as preparations continue for November’s European Championship qualifiers.
Full-time: Northern Ireland U19s 1-2 Belgium U19s
Line-ups
Northern Ireland:
Dan O’Keefe, Shea McGary, Callum Anderson, Callum Leacock (C), Jay Mcevoy, Troy Savage,Sid Eldred, Joel Kerr, Broghan Sewell, George Feeney, Alfie Wilson
Belgium:
Martin Henron, Brent Jonkers, Wout Gielen, Ali Camara, August De Wannamacker, Jeremy Mbambi, Matthias Ivamu, Rene Mitonogo, Jessel Pedro Da Silva, Jayden Onia Seke, Arthur De Kimpe
