SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 6 hrs 59 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
European Under-21s Championship | Group Stage
Jun 19, 2017 at 5pm UK
 
EN

1-2

Chrien (23')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Mawson (50'), Redmond (61')

England Under-21s come from behind to keep Euro 2017 hopes alive

:Headline: Result: England Under-21s come from behind to keep Euro 2017 hopes alive: ID:300806: from db_amp
England come from behind to beat Slovakia 2-1 and move to the top of Group A at the Under-21 European Championships in Poland.

England came from behind to beat Slovakia 2-1 and move to the top of Group A at the Under-21 European Championships in Kielce this afternoon.

An opening goal from Martin Chrien left England's hopes of reaching the semi-finals hanging by a thread, with only one guaranteed spot in the last four available from each group.

However, Alfie Mawson and Nathan Redmond responded in the second half as England picked up their first win of the tournament to put themselves in control of Group A with one game remaining.

A goalless draw with holders Sweden in their opening match left England knowing that only a win would realistically keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive, but the game got off to a slow start with a number of robust challenges affecting the rhythm.

It was Slovakia who took the lead midway through the first half, though, as Chrien lost his marker from a corner and managed to loop a fine header over Jordan Pickford despite the ball arriving behind him.

Slovakia had themselves come from behind to beat hosts Poland in their first match, and England almost responded immediately in their quest to do the same when Lewis Baker fired a long-range strike narrowly over the crossbar shortly after the opening goal.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between for Aidy Boothroyd's side, though, with Jon Swift the next to have a sight of goal when he curled another effort from outside of the box off target.

Pickford was the busier of the two goalkeepers despite England enjoying the lion's share of possession, making a couple of routine stops before his opposite number Adrian Chivan was called into action for the first time when he tipped a James Ward-Prowse free kick behind.

There was more to shout about from an England perspective in the second half, though, and Chovan's first testing stop arrived shortly after the restart when Redmond's drive was kept out at the near post.

The resulting corner initially came to nothing, but half-time substitute Jacob Murphy put the ball back into the box and Mawson scrambled it home from close range at the second attempt after Chovan had failed to deal with his first effort.

Suddenly England sensed that Slovakia could be on the ropes and they pushed for a quickfire second, with Baker failing to pick out an unmarked Tammy Abraham in the middle before Murphy drew a comfortable save from Chovan.

Slovakia steadied themselves following a brief spell on the back foot, but their revival was short-lived and England did take the lead just past the hour mark when Redmond latched on to a brilliant pass from Ward-Prowse before cutting inside and firing a deflected strike into the far corner.

Chrien ballooned a long-range shot well over the crossbar moments later, but Slovakia failed to provide much of a response and England saw out the remainder of the game without any more major scares.

The victory is just England's second at an Under-21s European Championship since 2009 and leaves them knowing that another win over hosts Poland in their final group game on Thursday could see them through to the semi-finals.

Slovakia remain in the hunt themselves on three points, but realistically need to beat holders Sweden - also on Thursday - to stand any chance of qualifying.

amp_article__300806 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2017-06-19 18:32:03:
html db last update - 2021-03-02 20:56:17 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .