Ireland ace Brandon Kavanagh says he wasn’t surprised by Joe Hodge’s Euro Under-19 wonder-goal on Monday night.
Manchester City midfielder Hodge secured a point for the Boys in Green against Norway with a rasping 25-yard drive nine minutes from time in Yerevan.
According to Shamrock Rovers attacker Kavanagh, Hodge had displayed his long-range shooting talents ahead of the Group B opener.
“We always believe in ourselves and we are always confident (that a goal would come),” the Hoops teenager said.
“But you get that little thought in your head, when is it going to come? Luckily it did, it was a great strike from Joe. An unbelievable finish.
“He actually did (showcase his shooting skills), to be fair, before the game. He hit the far corner. We trusted him.
“Once it fell to him I just thought, let him have a strike, get out of the way, don’t get in the way of the shot.”
Hodge’s goal means Ireland head into Thursday’s game against France knowing that, whatever the outcome, they will still have a semi-final spot to play for against the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Kavanagh is hopeful that they can produce an upset against Les Bleus.
“We work as a team, we are all in it together. We believe in ourselves and we are ready to go. We are ready for France,” he said.
“All the boys are going to regroup, get the rest in and recover well. We’ll be ready to go for Thursday.
“100 percent there is more to come from us.”
If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
