Ireland finish third at FIFPro Tournament

Pat Scully’s PFAI team of out of contract players finished third at the 2013 FIFPro Tournament on Friday after one win and one defeat from their two games.

Scully’s team suffered a penalty shootout defeat against Norway in their opening game. Behind after the early concession of a goal, the Irish side grabbed an equaliser three minutes from the final whistle with Stephen Maher dispatched a well-struck penalty after he was upended in the penalty area.

The subsequent penalty shootout saw Stephen O'Flynn, Shane Tracy, Stephen Maher, Mark Rossiter and Niall O 'Reilly all score their penalties, but Peter Higgins was the first to miss after Norway had scored their sixth.

The Irish side then faced Finland for third spot, and a good performance saw a 2-0 win. Higgins, having missed in the penalty shootout, was fouled in the penalty area for Shane Tracy to score from 12 yards. Barry O’Mahony’s header from Dean Marshall’s free-kick sealed the win for Pat Scully and handed them third spot in front of the interested scouts, where players will be hopeful that impressions were made as they all go in search of a contract for the new season.