Irish teenage debutant Jaden Umeh felt the energy of the Aviva Stadium crowd as soon as he took his first touch having come on as a substitute against Qatar.
The young Benfica winger injected a spark of life into the drab second half of a largely forgettable friendly encounter with the World Cup-bound Qataris with his direct running, pace and willingness to take a risk.
His first touch saw him swivel past two visiting defenders with one crafty drag-through and off he went down the right wing. The crowd - at that point drifting into a bit of a stupour - responded in kind to the young Corkman's efforts.
"It was something special to be honest," Umeh told RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue after the game. "Coming onto the pitch I was just excited. I'm still out of breath, I was giving it my all.
"The first dribble I had, the whole crowd was with me. It felt something amazing. I'm just so grateful.
'It was something special' – Teenager Jaden Umeh reflects on his international debut after coming off the bench against Qatar pic.twitter.com/iYncyvkSfN
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) May 28, 2026
"I wanted to show the fans what I have in the locker. It was good to pull of some of my tricks - I wouldn't say it was all of them, but it was a good moment, definitely.
"Taking players on, that's something I practice all the time."
Umeh, like his fellow teenage debutant Mason Melia, is still waiting on his senior debut at club level. Is that next on the agenda for a player who oozes confidence with every word?
For now, the product of Ringmahon Rangers is looking no further than next week's trip to Montreal to take on Qatar's World Cup Group B rivals, Canada.
"Taking it day by day at this moment," Umeh said. "We'll see what the next day brings and that next day is here in the camp. Here with the team, they were amazing today, getting the win.
"Thanks to the gaffer for giving me my debut as well. Ringmahon made me into this player. That's where I started. I'm just grateful to them as well."
