Perfect England march into finals
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Article summary
Defending champions England laid down a marker as they won all three games in elite round Group 6 to book their place in the finals, as Slovenia secured second spot.
Article top media content
Article body
Holders England showed why they will be hard to dethrone at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals in May after coming through elite round Group 6 with a perfect record.
Norway and Slovenia were both beaten 3-1 before John Peacock's men rounded off their campaign with a 2-1 success against Romania, who ended without a point. Slovenia and Norway played off on matchday three for second spot, and it was the former who edged things 1-0 in Burton-on-Trent.
• Winners: After the goals were shared around in England's opening wins, it was the turn of Ike Ugbo to steal the show versus Romania. His seventh-minute opener was cancelled out by Adrian Petre, but the forward scored his second to maintain England's 100% record through both rounds of qualification.
• Other performances: Slovenia showed they have the skill to cause problems at this level after winning two of their three matches in finishing second. Romania displayed lots of technical ability but lacked the quality needed in the final third.
• Key moment: When Ugbo dispossessed a defender and fired in at the second time of asking to put England in front against Romania.
• Star performers: Tom Davies controlled the midfield for England while left-back Adetayo Edun showed his class with a series of impressive performances.
Reaction:
John Peacock, England manager
My team have done everything I asked of them during all three elite round fixtures, and to win all three is very pleasing. We gave everyone in the party a chance to play their part and we came away with three wins and eight goals, which is fantastic.
