Match report: England MU18s 2-0 Wales

 

The Young Lions, who kicked-off the four nations tournament with a 3-2 win over Austria earlier in the week, were in fine form again at NK Sesvete.

 

A goal in each half from strike pair Jude Soonsup-Bell and Sonny Perkins proved enough to overcome the Red Dragons.

 

Head coach Ryan Garry utilised his squad and made ten changes to the team which featured on Tuesday and after a cagey start to the game from both teams, England began to find their feet.

 

And they went ahead just after the midway point of the first half when Chelsea’s Soonsup-Bell latched onto a pass on the right before smashing a shot past Wales keeper Ronnie Hollingshead.

The win was sealed with just over ten minutes remaining, when Perkins expertly controlled a pass before firing a shot in off the post.

 

England will play their third and final game of the trip on Monday afternoon when they take on host nation Croatia at NK Rudes Stadium just outside Zagreb.

 

England: 1 Tommy Simkin (Stoke City), 2 Kaden Rodney (Crystal Palace), 3 Zak Sturge (Brighton & Hove Albion), 4 Bradley Ibrahim (Arsenal), 5 Ben Nelson (Leicester City), 6 Finley Potter (Sheffield United), 7 Michael Olakigbe (Fulham), 8 Charlie Webster (Chelsea), 9 Jude Soonsup-Bell (Chelsea), 10 Sonny Perkins (West Ham United), 11 Oliver Arblaster (Sheffield United).

 

Substitutes: 16 Harvey Araujo (Fulham) for Sturge 46, 15 Thierry Small (Southampton) for Arblaster 66, 17 Jack Wells-Morrison (Crystal Palace) for Soonsup-Bell 66,  20 Kian Pennant (Leicester City) for Olakigbe 66, , 18 George Hall (Birmingham City) for Ibrahim 69, 14 Sammy Braybrooke (Leicester City) for Webster 69, 19 Divin Mubama (West Ham United) for Perkins 80, 21 Lewis Hall (Chelsea) for Nelson 80

 

Substitutes not used: 12 James Beadle (Brighton & Hove Albion), 13 Joe Whitworth (Crystal Palace)

 

Goals: Jude Soonsup-Bell 24, Sonny Perkins 79

 

Head coach: Ryan Garry