Teenage striker Evan Ferguson isn’t getting carried away after scoring his first objective for his nationwide crew. The remainder of Ireland will gladly do this for him.

The 18-year-old Ferguson is having a breakout season with Premier League membership 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 pleasant on Wednesday at Aviva Stadium made him Ireland‘s youngest goalscorer since Robbie Keane netted as a youngster in 1998 in opposition to Malta.

It was Ferguson‘s first start and just his third appearance for Ireland, which has lacked a consistent scoring threat since Keane’s retirement. Keane stays the nation’s all-time scorer by a large margin.

“It’s all just talk isn’t it, at the end of the day, people getting excited,” the 6-foot-2 (1.9-meter) Ferguson mentioned.

Ferguson scored twice final Sunday to assist Brighton beat fourth-tier Grimsby 5-0 to advance to the FA Cup semifinals. His seven objectives for Brighton this season make him “the top-scoring teenager for a Premier League club across all competitions in 2022-23,” stats supplier Opta mentioned.

PHOTOS: Teen striker Ferguson raises Irish hopes with early success

So, yeah, there’s some hype.

“It really doesn’t bother me. It’s just a game of football,” mentioned Ferguson, who made two appearances for Ireland instead final November.

The teenager exploits areas properly, makes use of his physicality to carry off defenders and scores comfortably with each toes and his head. He tucked it dwelling from shut vary within the seventeenth minute on Wednesday.

“You dream about it as a kid to score at home. A crowd like that, and family and friends watching, I don’t think there’s a better feeling,” he mentioned.

Brighton supervisor Roberto De Zerbi calls Ferguson “a special striker” who will solely get higher. The Brighton coaches are working “to improve him in terms of understanding the play, (when) to receive the ball or to attack the space… to complete the player.”

Irish followers will need to see Ferguson within the lineup Monday evening when World Cup star Kylian Mbappé and the French squad go to in a Euro 2024 qualifier. The “Boys in Green” haven’t crushed France since a 3-2 win in Dublin in 1981.

Ireland coach Stephen Kenny sought to downplay expectations, noting that “injuries can take their toll” on younger gamers typically.

“The demands are high in the leagues they are in and sometimes that happens,” Kenny mentioned. “He’s only 18. You can’t predict things in the future.”

Ferguson has drawn consideration ever since coming off the bench for Dublin membership Bohemians at age 14 in a pleasant in opposition to Chelsea in 2019. He switched to Brighton two years later.

This season has passed by in a flash, he mentioned, and there’s no time to consider expectations or stress.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a game of football. I’ve played it for years now.”

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