Jaden Umeh made his senior international debut for Ireland against Qatar at the Aviva Stadium, coming on in the 75th minute and using his first touch to jink between two Qatari players. Heimir Hallgrímsson handed the 18-year-old his first cap as Ireland closed out a 1-0 friendly win.
Umeh was introduced at the same time as Corrie Ndaba, who also made his debut in the 75th minute, while Mason Melia, another 18-year-old, came on in the final minute of normal time. Nathan Collins had put Ireland ahead in the fifth minute, turning in an inswinging free delivered by Jack Moylan, whose night ended badly when he was sent off just before half-time.
The match had already taken on a strange tone by then. Ireland were reduced to 10 men late in the first half, and both teams finished with a player dismissed. The game carried a humdrum end-of-season feel, even with the noise in the stands interrupted twice in the first half when protesters against the Israel game threw tennis balls from the crowd and briefly stopped play.
For Ireland, the result was another tidy friendly win and another night of debuts under Hallgrímsson, who had handed out seven the previous fortnight against Grenada. For Umeh, who plays his club football for Benfica, it was a first appearance that began with a sharp piece of control and ended with Ireland already in command. The night belonged to the new cap as much as to the scoreline.
