Report: Korea Republic 0-2 England MU18s

Reigan Heskey scored for the third match in a row as England moved past Korea Republic and into the last 16 of the FIFA U17 World Cup, held in Qatar.

England earned their spurs after an own goal from Jung Hui-Seop and a well-taken strike from Heskey moved the Young Lions forward in the competition in Qatar, with a tie against either Austria or Tunisia awaiting them in the next stage.

The Young Lions survived an early scare when Dante Headley was shoved over inside the box, leaving Kim Do-Yeon with a simple finish, but the contact was deemed too heavy for the referee.

The next ten minutes slowed down a touch, with Luca Williams-Barnett having the only attempt on goal as the teams shared spells on the ball.

But England started to find their feet, though, as Heskey and Bradley Burrowes both saw unsuccessful efforts.

And Hui-Seop had plenty to ponder when Neil Ryan’s team went ahead on 29 minutes, turning Seth Ridgeon’s low cross into the back of the Reds’ net.

Korea Republic had no time to settle before they fell two goals behind as Burrowes’ whipped cross was turned in by Heskey, who continued to prove his mettle in the competition.

Jack Porter was called into action at the other end, keeping out a low effort from the left, before Heskey then drilled a shot at the Korean defence after the ball was knocked through to Williams-Barnett.

Koo Hyeon-Bin then spared his teammate’s blushes after Chizaram Ezenwata motored through on goal, before being taken down by Hui-Seop, whose night almost went from bad to worse, but the referee stuck to his original decision of a yellow when going to the monitor.

Williams-Barnett looked to turn provider when he teed up Ezenwata on the hour, who hooked his attempt round the post.

The Spurs’ youngster continued to look full of running and went inches away from scoring the goal of the tournament when his effort from inside his own half brushed past the post.

England turned it down a notch, defending deep to hold the score as it was. But the Reds’ midfield stepped away from Kaden Braithwaite, who moved forward and played in Heskey, hitting an effort over.

Burrowes showed he can operate on either side when his cross was knocked free to Harrison Miles, who almost scored in additional time for the second match in a row when his drive bounced off the post.

The Young Lions held out the remaining minutes comfortably and secured their passage through to the round of 16 in Qatar.

England: 1 Jack Porter (Arsenal), 2 ⁠Dante Headley (Manchester City), 6 ⁠Freddie Simmonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), 8 ⁠Seth Ridgeon (Fulham) (c), 10 ⁠Luca Williams-Barnett (Tottenham Hotspur), 12 ⁠Bradley Burrowes (Aston Villa), 14 ⁠Reigan Heskey (Manchester City), 15 ⁠Kaden Braithwaite (Manchester City), 16 ⁠Bendito Mantato (Manchester United), 18 ⁠Chizaram Ezenwata (Chelsea), 20 Louis Page (Leicester City)

Substitutions: 9 ⁠Alejandro Rodriguez (Olympique Lyonnais) for Ezenwata 69’, 19 ⁠Reggie Walsh (Chelsea) for Page, 4 ⁠Harrison Miles (Manchester City) for Williams-Barnett 83’, 7 ⁠Ryan McAidoo (Manchester City) for Heskey 90’

Substitutes not used: 3 Malachi Hardy (Tottenham Hotspur),5 Marli Salmon (Arsenal), ⁠11 Jake Evans (Leicester City), 13 ⁠Lanre Awesu (West Ham), 17 ⁠Igor Tyjon (Blackburn Rovers), 21 ⁠Dylan Moody (Southampton)

Goals: Heskey 35’

Head coach: Neil Ryan