Published 18 May 2024 4 min read
Women's U17
Report: England WU17 0-4 Spain
Young Lionesses end U17 EURO campaign with defeat in the Final against Spain on Saturday
ENGLAND WU17s: FIND OUT MORE
England women’s under-17s fell to defeat in the final of the 2024 European Women’s Under-17 Championships against a formidable Spanish side in Mälmo.
Natalie Henderson’s Young Lionesses put up a valiant fight in their first final as a team against the five-time winners of the competition.
The affair lived up to a worthy showpiece of two technically gifted teams with faultless form throughout the competition.
The first half began with much quality from both sides, as England seemed to shake off early nerves and grew in confidence. Omotara Junaid and Erica Parkinson were particularly bright, with the latter causing the Spanish backline problems with her ability on the ball. Her penalty claim after she was seemingly brought down in the area after a lovely move was denied.
Momentum continued to swing between the sides throughout the half until Spain grabbed control before the break. The deadlock was broken when Alba Cerrato poked home her seventh goal of the tournament. She quickly followed with her second of the game via a header at the near post as Spain capitalised on their confidence and experience.
Natalie Henderson’s Young Lionesses put up a valiant fight in their first final as a team against the five-time winners of the competition.
The affair lived up to a worthy showpiece of two technically gifted teams with faultless form throughout the competition.
The first half began with much quality from both sides, as England seemed to shake off early nerves and grew in confidence. Omotara Junaid and Erica Parkinson were particularly bright, with the latter causing the Spanish backline problems with her ability on the ball. Her penalty claim after she was seemingly brought down in the area after a lovely move was denied.
Momentum continued to swing between the sides throughout the half until Spain grabbed control before the break. The deadlock was broken when Alba Cerrato poked home her seventh goal of the tournament. She quickly followed with her second of the game via a header at the near post as Spain capitalised on their confidence and experience.
England resumed the second half with lively intentions, but Spain soaked up the pressure to break on the counter-attack, from which they added a third and fourth through Celia Segura.
There was no trophy to lift for Henderson’s side, but they completed the tournament with an impressive run to the final, the furthest they have gone previously in this competition and earned qualification into the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup later this year, when both teams and Poland travel to the Dominican Republic in October as Europe’s representatives.
England: 1 Hope McSheffrey (Arsenal), 2 Nelly Las (Leicester City), 3 Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), 4 Laila Harbert (Watford/Arsenal) ©, 6 Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Oxford United), 7 Erica Parkinson (FC Valadares), 8 Omotara Junaid (Arsenal), 9 Isabella Fisher (Arsenal), 10 Vera Jones (Barry Town), 11 Lola Brown (Chelsea), 15 Niamh Peacock (Arsenal)
Substitutes: 20 Jane Oboavwoduo (Manchester City) for Jones 64, 14 Emily Cassap (Sunderland) for Brown 79, 16 Oliva Hibbert-Johnson (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Fisher 88
Substitutes not used: 13 Rebekah Dowsett (Leicester City), 5 Simone Sherwood (Leicester City), 12 Sophie Harrison (Arsenal), 18 Mia Endacott (Plymouth Argyle, 19 Isabel Hebard (Devon ETC)
Head coach: Natalie Henderson
There was no trophy to lift for Henderson’s side, but they completed the tournament with an impressive run to the final, the furthest they have gone previously in this competition and earned qualification into the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup later this year, when both teams and Poland travel to the Dominican Republic in October as Europe’s representatives.
England: 1 Hope McSheffrey (Arsenal), 2 Nelly Las (Leicester City), 3 Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), 4 Laila Harbert (Watford/Arsenal) ©, 6 Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Oxford United), 7 Erica Parkinson (FC Valadares), 8 Omotara Junaid (Arsenal), 9 Isabella Fisher (Arsenal), 10 Vera Jones (Barry Town), 11 Lola Brown (Chelsea), 15 Niamh Peacock (Arsenal)
Substitutes: 20 Jane Oboavwoduo (Manchester City) for Jones 64, 14 Emily Cassap (Sunderland) for Brown 79, 16 Oliva Hibbert-Johnson (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Fisher 88
Substitutes not used: 13 Rebekah Dowsett (Leicester City), 5 Simone Sherwood (Leicester City), 12 Sophie Harrison (Arsenal), 18 Mia Endacott (Plymouth Argyle, 19 Isabel Hebard (Devon ETC)
Head coach: Natalie Henderson