Young West Ham United pair Kieran Sadlier and Sean Maguire suffered UEFA U19 Championship heartbreak on Tuesday after the Republic of Ireland's 0-0 draw with Serbia meant they missed out on a place in this summer's finals.
Following 2-2 draws with Switzerland and Slovakia in the previous two Elite Round fixtures, Ireland needed to beat hosts Serbia and hope for a Switzerland defeat to book their place in Lithuania.
Switzerland were defeated by Slovakia, but Ireland could not find the goal they needed and Serbia progress from a tight group Two,
They headed a clutch of three teams on four points, while Ireland were a solitary point further back on three.
Sadlier started the match in Jakovo, Serbia, with Maguire replacing his Hammers teammate as a 76th minute substitute.
