Morgan Rogers netted a brace as England Under-21s earned a 4-1 victory over Austria at Kenilworth Road in a friendly.
Ben Futcher claimed his first victory as interim coach in a match where Rogers opened the scoring from the spot.
Austria’s Thierno Ballo equalised for the visitors but second-half goals from Rogers, James McAtee and Tom Fellows put England in good stead to continue their 2025 Euro qualifying campaign.
Liam Delap picked up a very early yellow card inside 20 seconds for a dive in Austria’s box, and it was the visitors who almost dealt the first blow.
England conceded a free-kick on the edge of the area which set up Austria’s Christoph Lang, who chose to curl his effort around the wall, forcing goalkeeper James Beadle to tip his effort around a post to keep it level.
Austria’s early warning shot kicked the hosts into gear, but a scuffed one-v-one attempt by Delap fired straight at the keeper was a reminder that England need to be more clinical should they wish to avoid a repeat of Friday’s goalless draw with Northern Ireland.
Futcher’s men were well-warmed up by the 25th minute and their sharpness paid dividends when Tyler Morton caught Florian Micheler in possession.
The midfielder had his pocket picked after a pressure-inviting pass from his keeper and the loose lost ball found McAtee, who went through on goal before the Manchester City man forced the foul out of Nikolas Polster with quick footwork to win a penalty.
Aston Villa’s Rogers, who had perhaps been unfortunate to have not been called up for Lee Carsley’s senior squad, took on the responsibility, and he blasted his effort into the roof of the net to give England a 1-0 lead after 25 minutes.
But a mix-up at the back undid England’s hard work as Austria took advantage of an error before a sublime long-range goal.
Skipper Taylor Harwood-Bellis fed a fizzed pass out from the back into the feet of Alex Scott. The usually-reliable midfield player mis-controlled his touch and was bullied to the ground as Ballo was set up nicely to curl his effort past the motionless Beadle into the bottom right corner for 1-1.
England came out of the traps quickly in the second half and they managed to retake the lead.
Samuel Iling-Junior performed a no-look pass into the feet of McAtee, who instinctively flicked Rogers into space.
The winger took a single touch before he whipped his effort into the far right-hand corner in clinical fashion to grab his second and make it 2-1.
McAtee’s dominant display went up a gear when he got in on the scoring act himself. Rogers was heavily involved, he jinked away from his marker and unleashed Lewis Hall on the overlap before his whipped low cross met McAtee on the volley and he steered his strike into the bottom right corner.
In the 81st minute, Hall replicated his earlier delivery, this time his cross met substitute Fellows who tapped in the fourth.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. PORTUGAL WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE ON PENALTIES Nuno Mendes 😎 Anti Right Winger Morata : Me again? Congratulations Portugal & Ronaldo Kepa in Arsenal be like I am sorry. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
- 1 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 4 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 5 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 9 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 10 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal