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The Luck Of The Irish
Written by Newcastle Utd
Brandon Miele hit the woodwork and almost scored on two further occasions as Ireland's under-19s took on the Czech Republic
By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter
Magpies youngster Brandon Miele played 83 minutes for the Republic of Ireland under-19s in a 1-1 friendly draw with the Czech Republic on Thursday evening.
The 18-year-old midfielder had appeared as a second-half substitute against the same opponents on Tuesday, helping his side to a 2-1 win, and was in from the start in the second of the friendly double-header.
Following a pitch inspection, the match was switched from Athlone to Flancare Park in Longford and the visitors took the lead through a Václav JureÄka penalty.
But Sam Byrne equalised just after half-time before Miele took over proceedings, coming close to scoring on no less than three occasions.
First, a 30-yard drive brought a great save from Jan Kotnour, then the keeper parried another long-range drive from the Newcastle teenager.
And with nine minutes to go, a powerful strike crashed back off the crossbar before he was replaced in the closing stages by Kealan Dillon.