Report: Austria 4-0 England MU18s

Ten-man England saw their FIFA U17 World Cup quarter-final ambitions denied, after a 4-0 loss against Austria.

The match, held in Qatar, saw a goalless first half where both sides tussled for possession before the Young Lions conceded four goals in the second half, ending their impressive run in the competition.

Following an opening game loss to Venezuela two weeks ago, Neil Ryan’s side had remained unbeaten up until this fixture - with victories against Egypt, Korea Republic and most notably, an 8-1 thrashing of Haiti to reach the last 16 of the competitiion.

But they met their match in the second knockout stage and were served a warning of Austria's attacking prowess when winger Johannes Moser hit the post just 90 seconds into the game, though the follow-up from Dominik Dobis was cleared off the line by Freddie Simmonds.

Ale Rodriguez almost put England in front on the five-minute mark after a poor clearance from the Austrian defence. With his back to goal, the Olympique Lyonnais striker fired a powerful curling shot, forcing a diving save from goalkeeper Daniel Posch.

Goalkeeper Jack Porter was called into action with a wonderful diving save in the ninth minute, to prevent an opener for Austria as the  teams went toe-to-toe.

In-form winger Reigan Heskey searched for a moment of solo brilliance in the 23rd minute, though his curling right-footed effort nestled on to the top of Austria’s net, as the game remained goalless.

The opening 30 minutes was a display of attacking strength from both sides, as England looked to up the tempo and break the deadlock.

Heskey looked dangerous again on the 32nd minute for the Young Lions, as Simmonds flicked on from a set piece to find the 17 year old, who saw his first-time volley denied by Posch.

England continued to look for an opening goal before half time as they began to take control in the tie. Rodriguez looked lively again, having his headed effort late into additional time denied by the Austrian defence.

After a goalless first half, England almost found the net just 25 seconds into the second, as Tottenham midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett hit an effort from the edge of the box.

But it was Austria who took the lead, two minutes into the second half, as Hasan Deshishku fired in from a narrow angle to beat Porter after a darting run into the box..

And England went down to ten men on the 50th minute, as Rodriguez saw red for a collision with Posch which proved to be a real turning point in the match to shade it in Austria's favour.

As the second half advanced and after an on-field video support review, the referee awarded a penalty after a foul in the box from England defender Kaden Braithwaite with 20 minutes remaining.

Austria duly made it 2-0, as Johannes Moser beat Porter from 12 yards despite the goalkeeper getting a strong hand to the penalty.

The Austrian attacker added a third just nine minutes later, before England conceded a fourth late on when giant defender Ifeanyi Ndukwu smashed home from close range to settle the tie and send his team into the quarter-finals where they will meet Japan.

Despite the disappointing defeat in Doha, England still looked spirited with an impressive first-half display and will return home with plenty of positives and experiences from the tournament.

England:1 Jack Porter (Arsenal), 2 Dante Headley (Manchester City), 4 Harrison Miles (Manchester City), 6 Freddie Simmonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), 8 Seth Ridgeon (Fulham) (c), 9 Alejandro Rodriguez (Olympique Lyonnais), 10 Luca Williams-Barnett (Tottenham Hotspur), 12 Brad Burrowes (Aston Villa), 14 Reigan Heskey (Manchester City), 15 Kaden Braithwaite (Manchester City), 16 Bendito Mantato (Manchester United)

Substitutions: 17 Igor Tyjon (Blackburn Rovers) for Williams-Barnett 61’, 20 Louis Page (Leicester City) for Headley 61’, 19 Reggie Walsh (Chelsea) for Miles 66’, 7 Ryan McAidoo (Manchester City) for Mantato 73’

Substitutes not used: 3 Malachi Hardy (Tottenham Hotspur), 5 Marli Salmon (Arsenal), 11 Jake Evans (Leicester City), 13 Lanre Awesu (West Ham), 18 Chizaram Ezenwata (Chelsea), 21 Dylan Moody (Southampton)

Head coach: Neil Ryan