ALBION midfielder Jayson Molumby believes the Republic of Ireland under-21s have nothing to lose as he attempts to lead them to a shock victory over Brazil.

Molumby and Albion team-mate Aaron Connolly face competition favourites Brazil in the semi-finals of the Toulon tournament in France today (4.30pm).

The Irish under future senior manager Stephen Kenny have already exceeded expectations, topping a group that included fellow semi-finalists Mexico.

Skipper Molumby is not daunted by the prospect of tackling Brazil’s under-22s, who scored 13 goals without conceding to head their group.

He said: “We’ve done so well to get here and we are going out with the mentality we’ve got nothing to lose.

“No-one expects us to get anything against Brazil, only us. We are the ones that actually believe. I think it’s just an Irish thing.

“We believe we can compete with the best in the world. We are going to give it a good try.

“We’ve played five games now and we haven’t been beaten so we are going in full of confidence. Mexico and China are Olympic teams and they will be hoping to do well there, so I think we can match anyone and give it a go.”

Molumby has already enjoyed a remarkable comeback for club and country. He only returned to action in March for Albion’s under-23s after 15 months out with serious knee damage. He was an unused sub for Albion’s closing 4-1 defeat by Premier League champions Manchester City at the Amex, which turned out to be Chris Hughton’s last match in charge.