England survived a late scare to beat France 2-1 in the Toulon Tournament final. They looked up for the game right from the off, and quickly gained control. France really struggled to mount any kind of attack, and the England keeper had very little to do in the first half.
In stark contrast, the French shot-stopper was kept fairly busy, and had to pick the ball out of his net twice in the opening 45 minutes.
Lewis Baker opened the scoring for the young Lions, with his looping header giving the keeper no chance. It was all about the assist from James Ward-Prowse though, who put the ball perfectly over the top of the defence for Baker to run onto.
.@lew_baker‘s delightful looping header hands @England U21s the lead against France in the #Toulon2016 final. https://t.co/LN8CVQqUHl
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) May 29, 2016
Ruben Loftus-Cheek got the second goal, with Baker turning provider for his Chelsea teammate this time around. Loftus-Cheek raced into the box and onto the ball, chipping the keeper cheekily and securing the game for England.
.@ChelseaFC midfielder @rubey_lcheek with a cool finish to round off a fine move from the @England U21s. #Toulon2016 https://t.co/AzfwRPJCTK
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) May 29, 2016
France made things difficult for England with a very late goal, Abdou Diallo piling the pressure on with just a few minutes to go.
England held on though, and managed to get the 2-1 win. They will now be lifting the trophy, and manager Gareth Southgate will be absolutely thrilled.
It’s a really great squad, and there will be high hopes that they can replicate this success when they are eventually promoted to the senior side. England’s senior side have been without a major trophy for even longer than the youth side, and this winning mentality could go a long way towards changing that.