Seán Keogh and Jad Hakiki (top pic) enjoyed a proud week as they made their Under-19 and Under-21 debuts respectively for Ireland.
The pair had been two bright spots for Dundalk in the second half of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division season, with their performances earning them these call-ups, and both players took their chances to impress their international coaches Tom Mohan and Jim Crawford.
Keogh travelled with Mohan’s Under-19s to Moldova for their UEFA European Championship Qualifying round. With Keogh on the bench, the Irish opened their group with a scoreless draw against the hosts on Wednesday, where they missed an injury-time penalty.
However, the 18-year-old left-back got the nod for Saturday’s clash with Azerbaijan and he played the full 90 minutes as Mohan’s side ran out easy 4-0 winners. On Tuesday, Keogh again played the full game as Ireland beat Iceland to top their group and qualify for the Elite Phase.
Hakiki, meanwhile, made the trip to Marbella with the Under-21s for two friendlies against Sweden. With a weather warning in Spain, the first match on Thursday was delayed until nighttime, with Hakiki entering for the final quarter-of-an-hour in a 2-0 loss.
Crawford then started the 20-year-old in Sunday’s match with the Swedes and the attacking midfielder was hugely impressive in his 70 minutes on the pitch, almost scoring and then assisting a marginally offside goal, as the Irish came out on top 3-2 in an entertaining encounter.
Dundalk FC congratulate both players on their international caps.
Thanks to Gerry Scully for the photo of Jad.
