Report: England MU17s 0-0 Switzerland
Chelsea goalkeeper Ted Curd impresses as England men's under-17s draw to ensure they top Group D
England men's under-17s finished their UEFA Under-17 Championship group stage top after a hard-fought goalless draw with second-place Switzerland.
With England MU17s also beating Croatia 1-0 and the Netherlands 4-1, it meant they finished top of Group D and will now face Group C runners-up France in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Head coach Ryan Garry made nine changes to the MU17s’ starting line-up compared to the side who beat the Netherlands on Sunday.
Chelsea's Ted Curd started in goal for England and his performance throughout the match was commendable, making key saves that kept his team in the game.
The first half saw England's Justin Oboavwoduo create an early chance, only for his shot to be pushed away by the Swiss keeper.
Switzerland responded with a threatening shot that rattled the post in the 25th minute.
Zakariya Lovelace from Glasgow Rangers showed his quality by brilliantly controlling a long ball before executing a curling effort from outside the box that narrowly soared over the crossbar.
Highlights: Switzerland 0-0 England MU17s
See the best of the actions as the Young Lions end their group stage with a draw
Just past the half-hour mark, a shot from Oboavwoduo was blocked by a Swiss defender, but the ball fell kindly to Chelsea's Kiano Dyer, whose resulting attempt was saved well.
As the half progressed, Switzerland thought they had broken the deadlock when a cross was turned in by Arlet Junior Ze, but his celebrations were cut short as the goal was disallowed for offside.
Defensive solidity was the key for England, with numerous blocks keeping the Swiss at bay. In the 39th minute, Curd pulled off a brilliant stop, parrying a low effort away to his right.
The half ended 0-0, with England’s pace up top looking a threat and Switzerland dangerous on the counter-attack.
The second half continued much like the first, with Curd impressing in England’s goal, as he used his legs to deny Switzerland when one-on-one.
England MU17s kept pushing with Manchester United's Finley McAllister driving into the box only for his effort to be blocked. The ball fell to Oboavwoduo, whose shot whistled just wide of the post.
Switzerland were awarded a penalty following a challenge in the box by Mofe Jemide on Winsley Boteli, but Curd once again stepped up and pulled off a stunning save to deny the striker and keep the game level.
In the closing stages, England's Tyler Dibling had an opportunity but fired just over the bar following a pass from substitute Ethan Nwaneri.
Towards the end of the match, Switzerland came agonizingly close to scoring from a free-kick, only to see Demir Xhemalija’s effort ricochet off the post.
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England: 13 Ted Curd (Chelsea), 3 Somto Boniface (Chelsea), 5 Lakyle Samuel (Manchester City) (c), 7 Justin Oboavwoduo (Manchester City), 8 Archie Gray (Leeds United), 14 Isaiah Dada-Mascoll (Manchester City), 15 Mofe Jemide (Crystal Palace), 16 Finley McAllister (Manchester United), 18 Kiano Dyer (Chelsea), 19 Zakariya Lovelace (Glasgow Rangers), 20 Kadan Young (Aston Villa)
Substitutes: 10 Michael Golding (Chelsea) for Samuel 62’, 9 Leon Chiwome (Wolverhampton Wanderers) for Lovelace 62’, 17 Tyler Dibling (Southampton) for Oboavwoduo 62’, 11 Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal) for Dyer 74’, 12 Jayden Meghoma (Southampton) for Boniface 84’
Substitutes not used: 1 Tommy Setford (Ajax), 2 Josh Acheampong (Chelsea), 4 Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), 6 Ishé Samuels-Smith (Everton)
Head coach: Ryan Garry