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| The England U21 team arrive at a Nationwide League ground |
U21 European Championship 2019 Qualifier - Group 4
at The Proact Stadium
England U21 (3) 7
Ademola Lookman 8, Ezri Konsa Ngoyo 27
Dominic Calvert-Lewin 45+1, 48
Dominic Solanke 81, Reiss Nelson 90+2
Christian Garcia Gonzale OG 90+4
Andorra U21 (0) 0
Admission £10. Programme £3.
Attendance 7,137
Andorra travelled to Derbyshire, on this mild and very un-October like evening, having picked up just two points from their previous eight qualifying games, while occupying bottom place in the group table. And without wanting to sound too disparaging, it was fairly obvious to everyone present, why they are in such a predicament.
When these two sides last met, back in November at the Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, the 'Three Lions' beat Andorra 1-0, courtesy of an Ainsley Maitland-Niles goal.
Even though England's final goal tally was boosted by a late flurry (and an own goal by Christian Garcia Gonzale), they still won this game comfortably, very handsomely and at a canter... while adhering to the old saying: "You can only beat what is in front of you". There were times when the highly rated Manchester United keeper, Dean Henderson, who is currently plying his trade on loan at Sheffield United, cut a very lonely figure, occupying a whole half of the pitch to himself for long spells.
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| Henderson in the D |
Aidy Boothroyd's team went into tonight's game, as group leaders, knowing that they only needed one point, to guarantee their qualification for next years European Championship tournament, which is being staged in Italy and San Marino.
Following this one-sided game, at the Proact Stadium, the home of nonleague Chesterfield FC, the U21 side now travel up to Gorgie, in Edinburgh, on Tuesday, to face Scotland at the Heart of Midlothian's Tynecastle Park; a game that will kick off at 5.30PM, if you' feel tempted to travel up.
Hearts, are one of the teams that Boothroyd played for, prior to his move to Mansfield Town in 1993.
With Gareth Southgate having promoted Mason Mount of Chelsea (on loan to Derby County) and James Maddison of Leicester City, to the senior side squad, Boothroyd moved quickly to add Manchester City's Phil Foden, Arsenal's Reiss Nelson (on loan at Hoffenheim), and Leicester City's Harvey Barnes (on loan at West Brom), to his bolster his ranks, as his unbeaten side prepared for their last two group fixtures. Two of them featured tonight, with Foden having a quite outstanding game, while Nelson weighed in with a goal (having already hit the post) after entering the fray as substitute with eighteen minutes of the game remaining, which probably means that Barnes will get a taste of the action on Tuesday night.
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| Three lions and a rodent, pestering kids. |
England opened the scoring in the eighth minute, when Tom Davies released Jonjoe Kenny on the right wing, and the Everton defender picked out his club teammate: Ademole Lookman, just inside the area, who advanced past two half hearted Andorra challenges before planting the ball past the Andorra goalkeeper Francisco Pires.
Other than conceding Lookman's strike, Pires, for his part, was initially keeping England at bay, and was a bit unlucky to concede a second goal, after blocking a shot by Lewis Cook (of Bournemouth) only to see Brentford's Ezri Konsa Ngoyo reach the rebound first and score with an angled knock.
Foden was proving to be a real thorn in Andorra's (back)side and he went close right at the end of the first half , but Calvert-Lewin made it 3-0 in first minute of added time, when Pires advanced from his line to challenge Lookman, who steered the ball away from the keeper while 'megging' Aleix Viladot, giving Dominic Calvert-Lewin the simplest of chances to roll the ball into an unguarded net.
HT: England U21 3 v Andorra U21 0
Three minutes into the second half, Konsa Ngoyo was fouled in the Andorra area by Claudi Bove, right at the start of the second half and Dominic Calvert-Lewin smashed the resulting penalty kick into the roof of the visitors net.
It was safe tosay by now, that England could've played me in goal for the remainder of the game and still have qualified for the Euro 2019 tournament.
The host side played keep ball for a wile and patiently kept possession, using the whole width of the pitch, with Tottenham's Kyle Walker-Peters looking good out on the left, while Foden and Cook dominated the midfield.
In the eighty first minute, England eventually scored again, when Foden threaded a pass through to Dominic Solanke, and the Liverpool striker, took the ball round the advancing Pires and rolled the ball into the open goal.
Despite conceding seven goals, Pires did well at times over the course of the game, and I think that he had every right to ask his defenders, where the effing hell they had buggered off to, at times tonight.
In stoppage time, the eager to impress and hungry looking Nelson, made it 6-0 on his U21 debut, with an audacious flick over Pires, off of his heel.
England's seventh goal, was scored with the last touch of the game, by Andorra's Garcia Goncalves, who helped the ball on it's way into his own goal after Solanke had nudged it past Pires.
FT: England U21 7 v Andorra U21 0
