Report: England MU17s 2-3 Portugal
Young Lions are pegged back following goals by Shumaira Mheuka and Freddie Simmonds
England men’s under-17s showed plenty of promise before succumbing to a 3-2 defeat to Portugal in an enthralling game at the Pinatar Arena.
The MU17s got off to the perfect start as a great ball from Shea Lacey in the opening minute found Shumaira Mheuka on the edge of the box and the Chelsea striker controlled well before slotting underneath the goalkeeper.
The Young Lions doubled their advantage ten minutes later when a brilliant in-swinging free-kick from Manchester United’s Lacey was glanced in by the head of Freddie Simmonds.
England MU17s v Portugal
Watch the full match from the Pinatar Arena
England had moved the ball well and looked a threat but Portugal then scored twice in the space of seven minutes to draw level around the half-hour mark.
Portugal’s first appeared to be an own-goal from Kian Noble after the ball rebounded in following Alfonso Patrao’s header.
Then another header from Patrao, this time at the near post following Geovany Quenda’s corner, appeared to be going in when it was bundled home by Joao Trovisco.
So the sides went into the break level and it stayed that way until just after the hour when Quenda burst into the box and from a tight angle, thumped the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Spike Brits.
England had a strong penalty appeal turned away when New York City full-back Christian McFarlane was brought down and it looked as though the Young Lions might snatch a dramatic equaliser in the final minute of injury-time when Mheuka showed great feet to avoid three defenders but his low shot was just wide.
The MU17s will now switch their focus to Saturday’s game with Morocco (6pm BST) before their final match against hosts Spain on Tuesday 12 September (5pm BST).
The Young Lions have both September and October’s international windows to prepare for their UEFA U17 EURO first qualifying round in November, when they play Croatia, Faroe Islands and Kosovo in Croatia.
England: 1 Spike Brits (Manchester City), 2 Jayce Fitzgerald (Manchester United), 3 Christian McFarlane (New York City), 4 Joshua King (Fulham), 5 Freddie Simmonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), 6 Kian Noble (Manchester City), 7 Shea Lacey (Manchester United), 8 Christopher Rigg (Sunderland) ©, 9 Shumaira Mheuka (Chelsea), 10 Mikey Moore (Tottenham Hotspur), 20 Callum Olusesi (Tottenham Hotspur)
Substitutes: 15 Chukwuemeka Adiele (West Ham United) for Fitzgerald 45, 11 Jay Robinson (Southampton) for Lacey 63, 19 Souleymane Sidibe (Stoke City) for Olusesi 63, 17 Elliot Myles (Norwich City) for Rigg 75, 21 Jethro Medine (West Ham United) for McFarlane 85, 14 Luca Fletcher (Manchester City) for Moore 85,16 Finlay Cartwright (Middlesbrough) for King 85
Substitutes not used: 13 Douglass Lukjanciks (Everton), 22 Nicolas Michalski (Blackburn Rovers), 18 Femi Fapetu (Manchester City), 23 Joshua Hamilton (Leeds United)
Coach: Greg Lincoln
Goals: Shumaira Mheuka 1, Freddie Simmonds 11
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