England 2-0 Czech Republic: Jacob Ramsey and Emile Smith-Rowe get Young Lions off to perfect start

It has been a while. A long, old while. Micah Richards scored the last time; so did Lee Cattermole. Mark Noble wore the armband. They’ve all retired. Nobody knew back then that manager Stuart Pearce would only have one more club job left in him.

England Under 21s had not won an opening match at the European Championship since 2009. Fourteen years, five group stage exits and a sense of foreboding every time the next one comes around. Good players, poor teams.

But a bit of that changed in Batumi. Lee Carsley has been impressing on staff and the squad for the last fortnight that they will attack this tournament and he stayed true to his word. A team full of flair. One that will give up plenty of chances, certainly the case early on against Czech Republic, yet one that is trying to be a bit different.

And that is refreshing. Some of these youngsters were part of the limp campaign in 2021 and are more liberated under this regime, one happy with Anthony Gordon as a false nine and no obvious sitting midfielder. Happy with a new goalkeeper who wants to take risks with his feet and boasting wealth of midfield talent eager to fly forward.

Not everything came off, and England have played considerably better than this in spells through qualifying. At times they struggled to problem solve in a frenetic first half. Later, though, they controlled things with more certainty after Jacob Ramsey set them on their way and this presents a solid platform. News that Germany only drew against Israel – Sunday’s opponents in Kutaisi – was most welcome as well.

England Under 21s had not won an opening match at the European Championship since 2009 

They started very brightly, with Noni Madueke hitting the bar after just three minutes

‘We were aware of the record from the past,’ Carsley said. ‘We’ve done nothing yet. We’ve got off to a good start so we’ve got to make sure we capitalise on that. One of the things I thought about when picking the squad was making sure we had goals in the team in all positions.’

The Czechs were insistent on making this fast and uncomfortable, James Trafford caught out by an intense high press, gifting Vaclav Sejk a golden chance, only for the Sparta Prague to smash wide. Vasil Kusej proved dangerous, catching right back James Garner square only to fluff his lines and then, when seemingly at least two yards offside, he sidefooted wide while bearing down on Trafford.

The Manchester City goalkeeper had spread himself well and turned in a stunning save five minutes before the break. Morgan Gibbs-White gave away cheap possession and Kusej galloped off from just inside the England half, twisting Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Trafford threw himself down to tip wide.

Carsley’s hope will have been that Czech energy levels could not carry on. England just needed to settle into possession, allow Angel Gomes to get his foot on the ball as midfield partner Curtis Jones attempted to play through the lines. And they fashioned a significant number of chances themselves, Noni Madueke the biggest threat.

It was a hard-fought clash as both teams looked to play an open and expansive style of football

Ramsey opened the scoring with a fantastic finish after a neat one-two with Anthony Gordon

It was a brilliant start to the second half for the Young Lions who dominated the second period

The Chelsea winger struck the bar within minutes of kick off when sauntering off the right, while almost sneaking under Liverpool’s Vitezslav Jaros at the end of an incisive move involving Jones. Madueke guided another opportunity wide, then thwarted by Martin Vitik’s last-ditch tackle. Vitik’s intervention was so important that the defender celebrated as if they had scored.

England did two minutes after half-time. Immediately calmer, smoother. Ramsey saw space and strode into it from the left, finding Gordon and demanding it back. Czech Republic were on their heels and Ramsey continued, opening his body to find the far corner. Exactly the sort of move that the Young Lions work on regularly. Carsley spun to the bench in delight.

One became two before it didn’t. Gordon wheeled away after nestling a neat flick into the far corner, meeting Madueke’s cross, only for the often-confused Romanian referee Horațiu Fesnic to blow for a foul. Gibbs-White had charged down a free-kick unfairly that gave England an advantage. Quite how Fesnic initially missed that is anybody’s guess. Nevertheless, they closed it out comfortably, substitute Emile Smith Rowe tapping in a stoppage-time second, and have set themselves up in a way that nobody has managed since this lot were in primary school.

Emile Smith-Rowe then tapped home late on in injury time after fine play from Cameron Archer

England had most the ball but did have James Trafford to thank for several fine first half saves