Report: England WU19s 3-0 Belgium

England women’s under-19s have qualified for this summer’s UEFA European Women’s Under-19s Championship after a 3-0 victory over Belgium.

The Young Lionesses went into the contest top of Group 3 on six points, two ahead of Belgium, meaning a draw would be enough to cement their place in Czech Republic this summer.

And a second-half hat-trick from Aggie Beever-Jones ensured Gemma Davies’ side will be one of seven group winners to join hosts Czech Republic in the eight-tournament Finals, which take place between June 27 and July 9.

England had a great chance to take the lead just before the quarter of an hour mark when a deep ball from the right was met at the far post by Tara Bourne, who headed it back across goal for Lucy Watson but she was unable to convert from six yard out.

The Young Lionesses went close again after half an hour into the contest when the ever-dangerous Freya Gregory picked out Beever-Jones but she couldn’t make clean contact and her scuffed effort was easy for Mirthe Claes to claim.

There was a lucky escape for England shortly before half-time as they failed to deal with a spell of pressure from the Belgians around the penalty area and Lore Jacobs’ right-side cross almost picked out the incoming Luna Vanzeir at the far post.

England went agonisingly close to taking the lead on the hour when Gregrory’s corner from the left was met by Ruby Mace’s header, which rattled the bar, and Bourne’s follow up from the eventual rebound was cleared off the line.

But the breakthrough came four minutes later when nice play from Grace Clinton in the middle released Beever-Jones down the right. Her stinging shot was palmed by the goalkeeper but ultimately only on to the woodwork and in.

And the Young Lionesses took another step closer to qualification five minutes later when excellent play by Watson saw her skip past a number of challenges to jink her way into the area down the right and lay the ball off to Beever-Jones, who cut on to her left and rolled it past Claes.

The hat-trick was then completed on 85 minutes when Beever-Jones again broke down the right, cut in on her left to completely outfox the ‘keeper and thump it into the far corner of an empty net.

With qualification now secure, the Young Lionesses will now wait to see who they will face at this summer’s UEFA European Women’s Under-19s Championship.

England: 1 Khiara Keating (Manchester City); 2 Jorja Fox (Charlton Athletic, loan from Chelsea), 5 Ruby Mace (Manchester City), 6 Tara Bourne (Blackburn Rovers, loan from Manchester United), 3 Anouk Denton (University of Louisville); 10 Grace Clinton (Everton), 4 Charlotte Wardlaw (Liverpool, loan from Chelsea) ©, 19 Laura Blindkilde Brown (Aston Villa); 7 Aggie Beever-Jones (Bristol City, loan from Chelsea), 18 Lucy Watson (Sheffield United), 11 Freya Gregory (Leicester City, loan from Aston Villa)

Substitutes: 20 Olivia McLoughlin (Aston Villa) for Gregory 90+1, 17 Deearna Goodwin (Leicester City) for Beever-Jones 90+1

Substitutes not used: 13 Natalia Negri (Charlton Athletic and Arsenal dual signing), 8 Maisie Symonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), 9 Emily Murphy (University of North Carolina), 12 Lucy Parry (Liverpool), 14 Mia Ross (Charlton Athletic), 15 Neve Herron (Sunderland), 16 Caitlin Smith (Clemson University)

Goals: Aggie Beever-Jones 71, 76, 85

Bookings: Freya Gregory 61

Head coach: Gemma Davies