Football: Molde 0 - 1 Shamrock

Shamrock Rovers are on the verge of making more history

Michael Noonan has etched his name into European football history with a decisive debut goal for Shamrock Rovers, as the Irish side edged past Molde in the first leg of their Conference League play-off.

Author - Jamie P

Noonan, aged 16 years and 197 days, became the competition’s youngest-ever goalscorer when he calmly slotted home after Dylan Watts’ well-placed cross, just before the 60-minute mark. 

In doing so, Noonan also emerged as the second youngest scorer in UEFA’s main club competitions—only Nii Lamptey, the former Aston Villa midfielder, has achieved this feat at 16 years and 100 days for Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup.

Molde, already down to 10 men after an earlier incident, found themselves further punished when Valdemar Lund received a straight red card for a challenge on the young talent in the first half. 

So, who is Michael Noonan?

Previously linked with a move to Premier League champions Manchester City, Noonan had only recently joined Rovers from St Patrick’s Athletic.

With this landmark moment, Noonan surpassed Hearts’ James Wilson—who netted for the Conference League at 17 years and 288 days against Moldovan side Petrocub—to claim the record as the competition’s youngest goalscorer.

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Meet the writer |Jamie P

How far can Shamrock go?

Shamrock Rovers now stand as the first League of Ireland club to reach the knockout stages of a major European competition and will aim to secure a spot in the last 16 when they host Molde in the return leg next Thursday. The tie’s winners will progress to face either Cercle Brugge or Legia Warsaw in the subsequent round.

The Irish side have yet to commence their 2025 domestic season, with the League of Ireland campaign set to kick off on Sunday against Bohemians at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium—an event expected to draw a crowd of over 30,000.

Also making history in Europe

On the same historic night, Ajax midfielder Jorthy Mokio also made headlines by becoming just the third 16-year-old to score in the Europa League, firing a spectacular volley from outside the box in a 2-0 win at Union Saint-Gilloise.