Nwaneri Scores On Full Debut For England U-21

Ethan Nwaneri scored on his full debut as England Under-21s beat Portugal in an entertaining friendly at The Hawthorns, BBC Sport reports.

Midfielder Hayden Hackney fired the hosts in front before Nwaneri, who turned 18 on Friday, curled the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to double the lead after just 10 minutes.

Portugal had come close while it was still goalless and pulled one back through captain Fabio Silva, who tucked away Rodrigo Pinheiro’s cross from close range midway through the first half.

The visitors could have been level at the break but Pedro Santos’ shot came back off the post moments after Silva felt he had been taken out by England goalkeeper James Beadle.

Both sides had chances after the break but it took until the 76th minute for the next goal to arrive as Omari Hutchinson nodded in from close range to extend England’s lead.

Portugal hit back once more, though, with Carlos Forbs stabbing home five minutes from time after his initial shot had been blocked.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser but Jaden Philogene sealed the win for Lee Carsley’s side in stoppage time with a cool finish at the end of a swift counter-attack.

Carsley made a number of changes to his line-up in this international window as he assesses his options before the European Under-21 Championship.

The results have certainly been entertaining with England scoring and conceding seven goals across their two games against France and Portugal