The equation is simple for the Republic of Ireland Under-17s on Tuesday: beat hosts Hungary and Colin O'Brien's side will advance to the European Championship quarter-finals.
After a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of an impressive Poland outfit in their opener last Wednesday, the Boys in Green responded brilliantly on Saturday by sweeping Wales aside by a 3-0 scoreline including two wonderfully taken goals.
The squad - the vast majority of whom are League of Ireland academy-based - are making a name for themselves at the tournament and that final group game against Hungary will be live on the RTÉ News channel and the RTÉ Player (kick-off 7pm).
Former League of Ireland-winning defender Graham Gartland has coached the five-strong Shamrock Rovers contingent and he joined us on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast this week to share an insight into that quintet as well as the challenges that exist on the Irish player development pathway.
The five Hoops in the 20-player squad are Ireland U17s captain Freddie Turley, Ike Orazi who has two goals at the tournament, number 10 Naj Razi as well as defenders Cory O'Sullivan and Ade Solanke.
"I hope young players are listening to this because each one of them have had different journeys," said Gartland, who won Ireland Under-17s caps himself in 1999 and 2000 and went into detail on each player during the podcast discussion.
Watch the full podcast below:
"All of them have had different journeys. Some of them have been at the club since the age of seven. Some of them joined at 10, Ade joined at nine, Ike joined at 10 and then his family moved to the UK and then he came back.
"And Freddie was probably the one that joined the latest but they've all ended up playing in the same team in a European Championships.
"I think what's good about the group is that there's three of the lads who are actually Under-16s: Kaylem Harnett from Wexford, Mason Melia from St Pat's and then Ike is 16 and Ade Solanke is 15.
"So it bodes well for the future and Colin O'Brien is trying to play the right way. You can see that with the third goal [scored by Romeo Akachukwu]. It bodes well to three of the lads who can play in the tournament again next year if they qualify."
Ike Orazi's goal against Wales was his second at the European Championships:
Gartland had a note of caution though about the way in which agents will tell players not to sign contracts with their Irish parent clubs, then promise them trials with overseas teams, whilst the League of Ireland club that has actually developed them ends up only getting limited compensation in the event of a potential transfer.
"Something that's frustrating for me, [is] when agents come in and tell them not to sign pro contracts with your football club and tell them 'stay' so that the compensation is low and then [tell the player that] 'we'll work on getting you out' and then get them a trial," he said.
"The son isn't going [on trial] off the back of his talent. He's going off the back of an agent promising that.
"You're taking control away from the player. You're taking responsibility away from the player himself and that's an issue.
"Agents are telling them not to sign with these clubs that have put in all this development all the way up, saying 'wait and let's go away on a compensation deal'. I'd like to see the players have more control over what they're doing, understanding that a trial dressed up as an agent promising it isn't all it's cracked up to be."
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That is not the case with the aforementioned Shamrock Rovers players with Gartland outlining that they are all tied to the club on pro deals, giving them much more control in regards to their futures.
"Ike, for example, Benfica came in [and said], 'We really like Ike, we'd like to take him', brings him over [on trial] and Ike has done all that himself, nobody has been involved in that. It's all been his hard work, his graft and that way he'll get his rewards for it," he said.
"But if an agent comes in and says, 'Oh no, we think we can get [something] better here, here or here', you hawk him around and he loses value and that's the issue that sometimes parents need to realise that a trial promised by an agent isn't off the back of your son's talent. It's off the back of your agent having connections in Europe."
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Watch the UEFA Under-17 European Championships with RTÉ Sport including Republic of Ireland v Hungary on Tuesday (7pm RTÉ News Channel)
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