England had the slightest of hopes going into the final group game of the U-21 European Championships. However, the Young Lions knew they needed several factors to go in their favour for them to make a miraculous progression. It looked like they would manage to pull off the unthinkable for a while but suffered late heartbreak at the hands of Croatia.
Disaster has struck the England U-21 again after the Young Lions exited another European Championship at the group stage. Although Aidy Boothroyd’s boys won on the night, a late goal from Croatia ended their progression hopes. A complex set of tie-breakers were called upon to confirm their exit from the competition.
England took the lead through Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze in the first half. The winger converted a penalty to give the Young Lions the lead in the match. Liverpool’s Curtis Jones gave them the lead in the 73rd minute after being set up by Dwight McNeil – the midfielder smashing in a shot from inside the box.
The significance of Jones’ goal was huge. Had the scoreline remained the same, Boothroyd’s men would have moved on to three points – same as Croatia and Switzerland. That, in turn, would have kicked in a complex set of tie-breakers, which the Young Lions would have won due to their superior goal difference. All they required at that moment was for Portugal to beat Switzerland and for Croatia not to score.
Switzerland played Portugal simultaneously in their final group game. The Portuguese had already qualified for the next round of the competition – and won the group – while Switzerland remained in contention. They needed a win against their opponents to progress automatically to the knockout stages as the group winners. However, that was not to be as the Esperancas beat them by three goals to nil – Diogo Queiros, Francisco Trincao, and Francisco Conceicao the goalscorers.
While Switzerland were out of contention for the final knockout spot, England and Croatia headed into stoppage time to confirm their result. Croatia needed to score to progress on goal difference, meanwhile, England needed to secure the clean sheet. Up stepped Lille’s Domagoj Bradaric, who unleashed a superb strike from outside the box into the top corner. Croatia lost the match 2-1, but progressed due to a higher number of goals scored.
There were some worrying scenes post the final whistle with the two teams nearly clashing. While the situation was contained, Jones was sent off for his role in the aggression.
Meanwhile, in Group C, France, Denmark, and Russia headed into the final matchday with the hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage. France took on Iceland, while Denmark and Russia squared up in a showdown.
Les Bleusets registered a straight-forward 2-0 win over their opponents of the night. Hertha Berlin loanee, Matteo Guendouzi, opened the scoring for his side in the 17th minute, following an assist from Alexi Claude-Maurice. Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard doubled their lead shortly after, securing the win for his national team.
Denmark had won both their group games of the tournament so far ahead of their final match against Russia. Their opponents, meanwhile, had won one and lost one. A win for Russia would have secured their place would have kicked off a similar tie-breaker situation in Group C, with all the three teams possibly moving up to six points.
However, it was not to be this time, as Denmark recorded an easy three-nil win. The Russians had shown early promise in the tournament but were swept off their feet by an early Denmark flurry. Jacob Bruun Larsen and Anders Dreyer scored twice within two minutes, and Carlo Holse sealed the win in the 90th minute.
The knockout stage is now set. Denmark will take on Germany, while France will play Netherlands. In the other bracket, Spain will face Croatia, and Portugal will go up against Italy. The tournament will continue in May 2021 once the regular season is over.
