Report: Mexico 1-7 England MU19s

Striker Dominic Ballard scored a hat-trick as England men’s under-19s won the Marbella Cup in emphatic fashion by defeating Mexico 7-1.

The Southampton striker, who is currently on loan at Reading, bagged a first-half hat-trick and there was also a brace for Tottenham Hotspur’s Jamie Donley as the Young Lions raced to a 5-1 lead at the break.

Further goals from Ronnie Stutter and Will Lankshear then cemented a memorable victory as England MU19s made it three wins from three during the friendly tournament in Spain.

Simon Rusk made eight changes to the side who had beaten Japan 3-2 on Saturday, selecting a side which was more similar to the one that started the camp with a 6-0 win over Romania.

England scored two quick-fire goals midway through the first half to put themselves in the driving seat.

Ballard opened the scoring on 21 minutes when he scored from a rebound after the goalkeeper had spilled the initial shot.

Ballard then turned provider as England won the ball straight back from the restart and the striker cut it back to Donley to score.

It was then three a few minutes later when the returning Amario Cozier-Duberry won the ball back on the right-hand side and fed Ballard with an incisive pass. The Reading loanee swivelled and from the edge of the box, found the bottom corner with a shot across the goalkeeper.

Ballard completed his hat-trick just after the half-hour mark when Kobbie Mainoo gathered a misplaced pass and unselfishly laid the ball off to the striker who, despite having his initial effort blocked by the defender, scored from the rebound.

Mexico pulled one back three minutes before half-time when, with England down to ten players due to injury, Angel Chavez headed in at the near post from a corner.

But there was still time for England to score their own set-piece goal in the final minute of the half as an in-swinging corner is flicked on and Donley was there at the far post to tap in.

It was then 6-1 six minutes after the restart as substitute Joshua Duffus intercepted a back-pass to the goalkeeper and Mainoo laid the ball back to fellow replacement Stutter to score into the empty net.

The excellent win was then rounded off in the third minute of injury when Lankshear showed strength whilst breaking down the right before finishing confidently into the far top corner.

England: 1 Elyh Harrison (Manchester United), 3 Lino Sousa (Arsenal), 4 Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton & Hove Albion), 5 Ashley Phillips (Tottenham Hotspur) ©, 6 Max Alleyne (Manchester City), 7 Amario Cozier-Duberry (Arsenal), 8 Jamie Donley (Tottenham Hotspur), 9 Dominic Ballard (Reading, loan from Southampton), 10 Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), 16 Noel Buck (New England Revolution), 17 Calum Scanlon (Liverpool)

Substitutes: 15 Alfie Dorrington (Tottenham Hotspur) for Phillips 45, 13 Matthew Young (Sunderland) for Harrison 45, 14 Joshua Duffus (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Hinshelwood 45, 18 Ronnie Stutter (Chelsea) for Ballard 45, 11 Romain Esse (Millwall) for Donley 54, 19 Leo Castledine (Chelsea) for Cozier-Duberry 54, 2 Kian Best (Preston North End) for Sousa 69, 20 Will Lankshear (Tottenham Hotspur) for Scanlon 69

Substitutes not used: 21 Luca Gunter (Tottenham Hotspur), 22 Ben Cisse (West Bromwich Albion), 12 Jacob Wright (Manchester City)

Head coach: Simon Rusk

Goals: Dominic Ballard 21, 26, 32, Jamie Donley 23, 45, Ronnie Stutter 51, Will Lankshear 90+3