England Women’s Under-17s were edged out by Republic of Ireland in their opening European Championship elite round qualifier in Cork.
Ireland’s Eleanor Doyle opened the scoring on the quarter-hour mark and Saoirse Noonan secured the win on 34 minutes.
Ireland 2-0 England
UEFA Women's U17 Championship
Elite Round Qualifier
Turner's Cross, Cork
John Griffiths’s Young Lions will face Hungary in their second qualifier on Saturday and Holland next Tuesday.
England: 1 Sian Rogers (Birmingham City), 2 Anna Patten (Arsenal), 3 Mayumi Pacheco (Liverpool), 4 Chloe Peplow (Birmingham City), 6 Megan Finnigan (Everton), 7 Alessia Russo (Chelsea), 8 Georgia Stanway (Blackburn Rovers), 9 Chloe Kelly (C; Arsenal), 10 Charlotte Devlin (Arsenal), 12 Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), 15 Grace Fisk (Millwall & Lewisham).
Substitutes: 18 Taylor Hinds (Arsenal) on for Devlin 41, 16 Georgia Allen (Arsenal) for Pacheco 73.
Substitutes not used: 5 Lucy Parker (Arsenal), 11 Kess Elmore (Liverpool), 13 Sandy MacIver (Everton), 14 Mollie Rouse (Aston Villa), 17 Zoe Cross (Chelsea).
Bookings: Kelly 65
Head coach: John Griffiths
