Switzerland send plucky Young Boys home after 3-1 Aspire Zone Battle
By SCM Correspondent in Doha
QATAR, Doha – The fairytale is over! Ireland’s plucky Under-17 side saw their World Cup dream brutally snuffed out by a clinical Switzerland team yesterday, falling 3-1 in the scorching heat of Qatar.
The scoreline might suggest a comfortable win, but the real talking point wasn’t just the goals, but the unique, clinical stage where the drama unfolded: Aspire Zone’s Pitch 1 in Al Rayyan, Doha.
This wasn’t some thunderous 80,000-seater cauldron. This was a compact, state-of-the-art pitch at the heart of Qatar’s ‘sports city’ complex, the Aspire Zone, where the entire expanded 48-team tournament is centralised.
Picture eight different football pitches buzzing with World Cup action, all within a short stroll of each other—a true festival of football, but one that ultimately proved too compact for the Boys in Green.
The Round of 16 clash started nervously under the harsh afternoon sun (it was a sweltering 28 degrees at kick-off, even with a slight breeze), with both sides cautious.
Ireland, having heroically made it to the last 16 in their first-ever U-17 World Cup outing, held firm in the first half.
But the Swiss clinical edge told after the break. A 57th-minute strike from Llukes finally broke the deadlock.
Then came the real stunner: a DREAM GOAL on 69 minutes from Wyss, a dazzling shot from the edge of the box that left the Irish keeper with no chance.
Ireland fought back, with a late consolation from Leonard on 82 minutes, briefly raising hopes of a last-gasp comeback. But it was only a four-minute reprieve. Swiss ace Mijajlovic delivered the final punch in the 86th minute to seal the 3-1 win, sending the Swiss flying into the quarter-finals against Portugal.
For the young Irish lads, the loss ends an admirable run, but the location itself deserves a headline. The Aspire Zone is less like a traditional World Cup stadium and more like a high-tech training academy on steroids.
With eight pitches hosting matches simultaneously, the atmosphere is intense but different—a multi-match buzz that can feel both exciting and strangely low-key compared to a standalone stadium roar.
While the facility is world-class, perhaps the concentrated action and heat ultimately drained the boys.
Coach Colin O’Brien’s team gave it absolutely everything, and they leave Qatar with their heads held high, proving they belong on the world stage.
But today, the Swiss machine was simply too strong on the day, conquering the Aspire pitch and sending our young heroes back to Dublin
