Michael Noonan of Shamrock Rovers set a new milestone in European club competitions by becoming the youngest player to score, leading his team to a 1-0 victory in the first leg of their Conference League playoff against Molde in Norway on Thursday.
At just 16 years and 197 days old, Noonan netted the decisive goal in the 57th minute, seizing an opportunity from a Dylan Watts cross.
This came after Molde’s Valdemar Lund was sent off with a red card shortly before half-time, giving Rovers a numerical edge. The young Irish forward shattered the previous record held by Romelu Lukaku, who had scored in the Europa League at 16 years and 218 days, and surpassed Hearts’ 17-year-old James Wilson as the youngest scorer in the Conference League.
Shamrock Rovers aim to secure their advancement to the round of 16 in their upcoming home match against Molde next Thursday, with the victors set to face either Cercle Brugge or Legia Warsaw in the subsequent round.
