UEFA Euro U21 Championship 2021 Qualifier, Group C
at the KCOM Stadium, Hull City AFC
England (1) 2
Phil Foden 25, 90+3
Kosovo (0) 0
Attendance: 15,258
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| Strange but true... people actually buy this kind of stuff |
England:
1) Aaron Ramsdale (AFC Bournemouth), 2) Max Aarons (Norwich City) (18 James Justin (Leicester City) 80),
4) Trevoh Chalobah (Huddersfield Town, loan from Chelsea), 5) Ben Godfrey (Norwich City) (C), 6) Tom Davies (Everton), 7) Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) (23 Mason Greenwood (Manchester United) 61), 8) Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers) (17) Todd Cantwell (Norwich City) 61) , 9) Eddie Nketiah (Leeds United, loan from Arsenal) (19 Rhian Brewster (Liverpool) 76),
10) Phil Foden (Manchester City), 11) Steven Sessegnon (Fulham), 15) Marc Guehi (Chelsea)
Unused subs - 12) Omar Richards (Reading), 16) Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur), 20) Eberechi Eze (QPR), 22) Ellery Balcombe (Brentford)
Kovoso U21:
1) Smakiqi (GK), 2) Xhemajli, 3) Kastrati, 4) Kolgeci (C), 5) Hajrizi, 6)Zekaj, 7) Gashi (14) Blendi Baftiu 65)
8) Abedini, 10) Kastrati, 19) Daku (9) Valdrin Mustafa 46), 22) Mema (11) Muja 34)
Unused subs - 12) Ardit Nika (GK), 11) Arbnor Muja,
15) Leard Sadriu, 17) Uran Bislimi, 18) Leonat Vitija,
20) Donat Hasani, 23) Shkelqim Sadiku
Two goals by Eddie Nketiah (currently on a season long loan at Leeds United), and another from his Arsenal teammate Reiss Nelson, were enough for the England U21 side to get off to a winning start, to their Euro 2021 qualifying matches, when they narrowly beat Turkey 2-3 in Izmit on Friday.
Rafet Prekazi's Kosovo team, arrived in Kingston upon Hull, having won both of their opening two group games back in June, when they beat Andorra 0-4 away and Turkey 3-1 at home.
The hosts went close to doubling their lead, when Davies headed over from a Foden flag kick, while Reiss Nelson was denied, when his smartly struck effort, was well saved by Florian Smakiqi.
Davies flicking a header over the bar from Foden’s corner.
But Kosovo went even closer to finding the net, shortly before half time, when Lirim Kastrati got free on the left and crossed to Arbnor Muja, who missed an absolute sitter of a chance, when he 'spooned' his shot against Aaron Ramsdale's crossbar and out of play from just a few feet out.
HT: England 1 v Kosovo 0
At half time, we amused ourselves by leading the shout of "Shearer! Shearer!" at Michael Owen, who was there to do some punditry for BT Sport, in response to the recent Twitter spat between the two former England strikers. He took the 'tongue in cheek' dig well... and smiled up into the stand (or possibly grimaced) in response.
England's next qualifying game is on Tuesday 15 October 2019 against new group leaders Austria (who are level on points with England and Kosovo, but have a better goal difference)... and will be played at Stadium MK. That fixture will be pre-empted by a friendly match in Slovenia.
Meanwhile, Kosovo face a trip to Albania on the same day as Aidy Boothroyd's side play on home soil again at Milton Keynes.
I like the KCOM Stadium, with it's 'football special' park and ride bus service, just off of the main A63 road into the city.
The food from a nearby fish and chip shop was barely edible mind you. We weren't the only ones who chucked our 'chippy tea' away either... and whoever thought it was a good idea to shut a section of the M62 and divert all of the late night traffic through Goole, wasn't my favourite person in the world, by the time we eventually got home. But, hey ho! These things are sent to try us.
Rafet Prekazi's Kosovo team, arrived in Kingston upon Hull, having won both of their opening two group games back in June, when they beat Andorra 0-4 away and Turkey 3-1 at home.
Another double tonight, this time by Manchester City's Phil Foden, was enough to see off the threat of the visiting Kosovans, but the game wasn't settled until deep into stoppage time, meaning that the visitors had still posed a threat, particularly on the counter attack, while they stoically defended to prevent England from building on their one goal advantage, that Foden had given them in the twenty fifth minute, when he took advantage of the ball sitting up nicely for him, after Steven Sessegnon's shot, from Tom Davies' sideways delivery was blocked on the line by Arbenit Xhemajli.
Davies flicking a header over the bar from Foden’s corner.
But Kosovo went even closer to finding the net, shortly before half time, when Lirim Kastrati got free on the left and crossed to Arbnor Muja, who missed an absolute sitter of a chance, when he 'spooned' his shot against Aaron Ramsdale's crossbar and out of play from just a few feet out.
HT: England 1 v Kosovo 0
At half time, we amused ourselves by leading the shout of "Shearer! Shearer!" at Michael Owen, who was there to do some punditry for BT Sport, in response to the recent Twitter spat between the two former England strikers. He took the 'tongue in cheek' dig well... and smiled up into the stand (or possibly grimaced) in response.
Eddie Nketiah advanced towards the visitors goal, making an angled run into the right hand side of their area, before shooting across their goal, with an effort that beat Smakiqi, but went inches wide of the left hand upright.
And shortly after coming on as a substitute Todd Cantwell unleashed a stinging volley, that was well fielded by Smakiqi, who manged to turn the ball around the post at full stretch.
The visitors would've drawn level, was it not for the heroics of Norwich City's Max Aarons, who contorted his body to somehow make a block on the line, that prevented an otherwise certain goal,
as Valdrin Mustafa stabbed the ball forward from close range, after Lirim Kastrati’s right wing cross had set up a seemingly nailed on opportunity.
Sadly, Aarons had twisted his knee so badly while making the last ditch clearance, that he had to limp out of the game, but hopefully it will have been of some comfort, that his efforts had probably made all of the difference between England gaining three points, instead of Kosovo levelling things up as the game moved on into the final ten minutes.
Three minutes into stoppage time, Rhian Brewster got forward down the left flank, and as the Kosovan defence made hard work of getting the ball away to safety, they let Foden see too much of it, and he pounced to claim both his and England's second goal of the night. A fitting climax to what had been a thoroughly entertaining and engaging contest.
FT: England U21 2 v Kosovo U21 1
Meanwhile, Kosovo face a trip to Albania on the same day as Aidy Boothroyd's side play on home soil again at Milton Keynes.
The food from a nearby fish and chip shop was barely edible mind you. We weren't the only ones who chucked our 'chippy tea' away either... and whoever thought it was a good idea to shut a section of the M62 and divert all of the late night traffic through Goole, wasn't my favourite person in the world, by the time we eventually got home. But, hey ho! These things are sent to try us.
