Report: England MU17s 2-0 Northern Ireland
England MU17s edge closer to qualification for the 2022-23 UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Ethan Nwaneri made it four goals in two games as England men’s under-17s moved a step closer to U17 EURO qualification with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.
A brace from Nwaneri and a goal from Justin Oboavwoduo ensured the Young Lions got their UEFA U17 EURO elite round of qualifying off to an ideal start on Wednesday with a 3-1 win over Denmark.
And the Arsenal starlet added another couple of goals on Saturday afternoon against Northern Ireland to make sure Ryan Garry’s side head into their final qualification game against hosts Netherlands on maximum points.
The 2022-23 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round draw divided the 32 teams into eight groups of four, with the winners and seven best runners-up looking to join hosts Hungary in the Finals between 17 May to 2 June.
It means Netherlands, who play Denmark this afternoon in their second game and are currently on three points, and England face off on Tuesday evening in a game which will help decide who will top Group 3.
The weather at the Gemeentelijk Sportpark S.J.C. in Noordwijk was posing a real challenge for the two sides on Saturday afternoon, with wind regularly holding up corners and crosses.
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Zakariya Lovelace's blistering pace was causing a few issues for Northern Ireland but generally the two sides were relatively even in the first half.
But just after the hour mark, Nwaneri made it 1-0 with a shot to the goalkeeper’s left despite having almost no space to work with.
The Arsenal youngster then all but ensured of the win with eight minutes remaining when he slotted the ball into the left corner.
It means England MU17s find themselves in a great position after two elite round matches and just Netherlands to come on Tuesday.
England: 1 Tommy Setford (Ajax), 2 Josh Acheampong (Chelsea), 5 Laklyle Samuel (Manchester City), 6 Ishé Samuels-Smith (Everton), 8 Lewis Miley (Newcastle United), 10 Michael Golding (Chelsea) (c), 11 Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), 12 Jayden Meghoma (Southampton), 14 Isaiah Dada-Mascoll (Manchester City), 17 Thomas Watson (Sunderland), 19 Zakariya Lovelace (Rangers)
Substitutes: 4 Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) for Dada-Mascoll 64, 9 Justin Oboavwoduo (Manchester City) for Lovelace 64, 20 Jamaldeen Jimoh (West Bromwich Albion) for Golding 89, 7 Tyler Dibling (Southampton) for Nwaneri 89, 15 Eyimofe Jemide (Crystal Palace) for Samuel 89
Substitutes not used: 13 Finlay Herrick (West Ham United), 3 Somtochukwu Boniface (Chelsea), 16 Archie Gray (Leeds United), 18 Kiano Dyer (Chelsea)
Head coach: Ryan Garry
Goals: Ethan Nwaneri 63, 82