It's been one hell of a journey, and Republic of Ireland Under-19 manager Tom Mohan insists his team are fully intent on extending their stay at the European Championships in Armenia.

The Boys in Green are just 90 minutes away (Ireland v Portugal is live on RTÉ2 on Wednesday from 2.45pm) from a final appearance, but the size of the task at hand is a considerable one.

Firstly, they must plan without captain Lee O’Connor and inspirational forward Jonathan Afolabi after the pair picked up contentious yellow cards in the 2-1 final group game over the Czech Republic.

In their way stands Portugal, winners of the competition 12 months ago. The Portuguese topped Group A, conceding just one goal along the way and Mohan knows they are a formidable outfit.

"We've seen their Elite Round qualifiers and their games in Armenia," he said.

"There is no question that they are one of the strongest teams in this year's tournament and we will have to produce another massive performance to match them, but this group of players are not fazed by anyone and we have a lot of strengths too."

The manager says it is a "tremendous achievement" to have reached the last four, but if any extra motivation was required, the absence of O'Connor and Afolabi through suspension will be at the foremost of all their thoughts.

"The players, and staff, want to do it for both Lee and Jonathan.

"It is really disappointing for the two lads, who have been outstanding in every game for us, so we want to collectively do what we can so that they get to play in the final."

Jonathan Afolabi and equipment manager John Crudden watch on at training

It has been a physically demanding fortnight, but Mohan insists that his team won’t be suffering from any form of fatigue when they take to the pitch at Yerevan Stadium to face the Portuguese.

"A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes, in terms of recovery and preparation, so we feel that we are ready for this game.

"The players have already done magnificently to reach this stage, but we want to go one better and get to the final now."

Follow Republic of Ireland v Portugal in the Under-19 European Championships semi-final (kick-off 3pm) on Wednesday via the live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the News Now App. Live TV coverage on RTÉ2 from 2.45pm.

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