Teen striker Ferguson raises Irish hopes with early success

By KEN MAGUIRE
AP Sports Writer

Teenage striker Evan Ferguson isn’t getting carried away after scoring his first goal for his national team. The rest of Ireland will gladly do that for him. The 18-year-old Ferguson is having a breakout season with Premier League club Brighton and now for Ireland which hosts France on Monday in European Championship qualifying. His first-half strike in Ireland’s 3-2 win over Latvia in a friendly on Wednesday made him Ireland’s youngest goalscorer since Robbie Keane netted as a teenager in 1998. It was Ferguson’s first start and just his third appearance for Ireland, which has lacked a consistent scoring threat since Keane’s retirement. Ferguson isn’t worried about the hype. He says “It’s just a game of football.”