The Irish under-16s scored a memorable victory over host nation Spain in the final of the soccer tournament at the Youth Olympics yesterday. The match finished 2-2, but Brian Kerr's side went on to win the title 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out.

The locals opened the scoring 18 minutes into the second half and briefly, given the extreme heat, it seemed that the advantage might be enough to see them through to victory.

Not long afterwards, though, Manchester City's Willo Flood ended a wonderful solo run out of midfield with a perfectly placed finish to score a goal which Kerr described as "right out of the Damien Duff handbook".

And after Flood's equaliser, Paul Murphy added a second from the penalty spot after he had been brought down inside the box.

The Spaniards drew level again three minutes into injury time to force the match into a penalty shoot-out from which Stella Maris goalkeeper Alan Cosgrave emerged as the hero. The Dubliner saved twice to give his side the edge, while his team-mates scored all four of their attempts to rap up the title.

"I couldn't have asked for more from them," said a thrilled Kerr. "I just don't know how they managed to keep going in the conditions, but they were brilliant and I'm delighted for them.

"The conditions were unreal. Players lost six and seven pounds during this game. But they managed to stay standing and they gained a great victory. I'm so proud of them."

Republic Of Ireland: Alan Cosgrave (Stella Maris), James Lee Matthews (Manchester City), Eddie Keyes (Leeds United), Patrick Flynn (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Henry McStay (Leeds United), Andy Cousins (Leeds United), Rory Hutton (Peterborough United), Kevin O'Connor (St Joseph's Boys), Karl Bermingham (Manchester City), Willo Flood (Manchester City), Paul Murphy (Manchester City). Subs: Richie Ryan (Belvedere Boys) for O'Connor (58 mins), Alan O'Brien (Newcastle United) for Hutton (60 mins).