Ireland have produced a stunning display to kick off their history FIFA U17 World Cup campaign, overcoming Panama on a 4-1 scoreline in Qatar.

This game was always going to be a key one for Colin O’Brien’s side, with a strong start to the tournament putting them in an excellent position to secure a top two finish from their group.

Ireland would take the lead just 16 minutes into the game, with Benfica’s Jaden Umeh scoring the opener with a brilliant header.

Benfica’s Jaden Umeh puts the Republic of Ireland 1-0 up against Panama in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup clash in Doha.

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They would double the lead before the interval via a Kian McMahon-Brown strike.

Second half goals from Michael Noonan and Max Kovalevskis would wrap up the three points for their team.

IRELAND GOAL
61 mins: Panama 0-4 Ireland
Max Kovalevskis shows great tenacity to get back on his feet to slot the ball home #rtesport #U17WWC

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While Panama would grab a late consolation goal, Ireland would ultimately run out as deserved winners.

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Cork’s Benfica Winger Steals The Show As Ireland U17s Make History At World Cup

This was an ideal start to Ireland’s first ever FIFA U17 World Cup campaign, with fixtures against Uzbekistan and Paraguay still to come. A win in one of those games would be enough to secure their place in the knockout rounds.

There were no shortage of excellent performances in the Irish side on this occasion, although one player did stand out.

Jaden Umeh produced a sensational display, scoring his team’s opening goal. He would also provide the assist for the third goal of the game.

IRELAND GOAL
58 mins: Panama 0-3 Ireland
Cross from Jaden Umeh finds the head of Michael Noonan and the Shamrock Rovers player makes no mistake #rtesport #U17WWC
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The winger would also score a sensational goal from outside the box that would be ruled out for offside.

Umeh is widely considered to be one of the brightest talents in Irish football. He made his League of Ireland debut with Cork City as a 15-year old in 2023, going on to break into the first team squad the following year.

The winger would join Benfica in August of last year, since impressing in the youth ranks during his time in Portugal.

Jaden Umeh is sure to play a significant role for Ireland over the remainder of this tournament, although there are no shortage of other talented players that will be looking to contribute over the coming games.

It is still early days in this team’s World Cup campaign, but they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Their next game will come against Uzbekistan on Saturday at 3.45pm Irish time.

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