After receiving a rest in the England u17s’ final group game against Switzerland, Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly returned to the starting lineup for the quarter-final against France on Saturday.
In a tight game, Lewis-Skelly ended up playing the first 45 minutes, whilst Nwaneri played the full 90.
England had their best chances of the match just before the half-time break, with Manchester City’s Justin Oboavwoduo hitting the woodwork and then missing from close range just seconds later.
But in an even contest, both teams struggled to break the deadlock, and it looked like they were set to end the 90 on level terms.
Then, with a minute left, Lakyle Samuel handled the ball inside the England penalty area. Mathis Lambourde converted the subsequent spot-kick to win it for France.
The highlights are available here, with the full-match replay available here.
It was a heartbreaking end to England’s hopes of winning the tournament, though their participation isn’t entirely over.
In lieu of a semi-final, England have an additional practice match organised against former group-stage opponents Switzerland on Tuesday, May 30th at 14:00 BST. After that, Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly can begin their holidays.
The Arsenal pair had been pivotal in securing England’s progression from the group stage in the first place.
Nwaneri scored England’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Croatia in the group opener, with Lewis-Skelly also winning a penalty (missed by a teammate). Lewis-Skelly then scored an impressive opener against the Netherlands in a 4-1 victory to secure a top-two finish.
With England already assured of a place in the next round, the final group game against Switzerland was only to determine the group winner.
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were rested in a 0-0 draw that secured top spot. Though perhaps England should have heeded the warning that they only achieved that draw thanks to a penalty save.
In terms of the remainder of the tournament, Poland are set to face Germany in the first semi-final on Tuesday at 15:30, before France take on Spain later in the day at 19:00.
The games are available to watch on UEFA.tv or the BBC, with all of the remaining fixtures covered live.
