Match report: England U-21s 0-1 Switzerland U-21s
Switzerland won their Group D opener against England with a fluke goal but ran out deserved winners. Aidy Boothroyd’s side has a mountain to climb.
What now for England? They have a match against Portugal on Sunday and the words “must” and “win” spring to mind. They follow that with a game against Croatia the following Wednesday, at which point their goose may already be cooked.
Some post-match reading: This, on the appointment of Aidy Boothroyd ... written seven years ago.
Aidy Boothroyd speaks: “We had a high percentage of the ball but we weren’t clincal enough,” says the England manager in an interview with Sky Sports. “Our final ball wasn’t what we needed it to be and I don’t think we created enough in the final third really. It’s as simple as that. You’re expecting a nil-nil in a game like that but then they get a freak goal and they’re the fine margins. We’re not out of it yet, we’ve got two more games to go, we can still do it and get out of the group and that’s what we intend to do.”
An email: “Bit like the seniors,” writes Paul. “England don’t really have a creative midfield, prime aim is to get the ball out wide and put in crosses. Too easy to defend. Individual talents but a lot like the previous generation - no real team plan or ideas when they get the ball in forward positions.”
Ben Godfrey speaks: “It’s important now that we bounce back,” he tells Sky Sports. “We’ve got a couple of days to recover and prepare, then we go again. It’s important that the senior players [in the group] remind us that football is not just a straightforward journey - there are ups and downs. Today is one of those downs but it’s important that we stick together and go again. We’ve got the characters in there to do that.”
On facing Portugal on Sunday, a totally different type of opponent: “That’s obviously the manager’s decision,” he says. “We trust him tactically to come up with a plan that we will try to execute in our next game. I can’t reiterate how important it is that we bounce back and show the character that we’ve got. I back us to go and do that. It’s going to be another tough match but if we go into it and give it our all, why can’t we get the win and achieve what we want to achieve.”
England v Switzerland match stats
- Possession: 65% - 35%
- Attempts on target: 1-3
- Total attempts: 13-10
- C0rners 6-6
- Offsides 2-2
- Passes: 596-304
- Completed passes: 507-219
- Fouls committed 14-16
- Yellow cards: 3-2
- Red cards: 0-0
Full-time: England U-21s 0-1 Switzerland U-21s
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeep! It’s all over in Slovenia, where the Swiss – popular with the neutrals – are on a roll and England have lost their opening Euro 2021 group game. Dan Ndoye’s goal was fortuitous to say the least but the Swiss were worthy winners having created far more in the way of chances than their exalted opposition.
90+4 min: Mambimbi wins his side a free-kick wide on the left, drawing a foul from Oliver Skipp. That’ll help Switzerland run down the clock.
90+2 min: England have resorted to lumping it long, much to the delight of Switzerland’s very tall central defenders.
90 min: A foul throw by Cedric Zegiger leads to England winning a throw-in deep in Switzerland territory. Nothing comes of it.
89 min: England attack down the right but Curtis Jones is dispossessed by Miro Muheim. We’ll have a minimum of four minutes of added time.
87 min: England could really do with rescuing at least a point from this game, what with tough looking games against Croatia and Portugal to come in the next week.
86 min: Curtis Jones shoots high and wide of the Swiss goal from distance.
85 min: Switzerland substitution: the very impressive Bastien Toma off, Kevin Ruegg on.
84 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi leaves the pitch to change his boots, then returns to see a yellow card brandished in his direction. He’s been booked for either leaving or returning to the pitch without the referee’s permission.
83 min: Time is running out for England to find an equaliser and if they do end up losing their opener, they can have few complaints. Switzerland have created the better chances, even if their goal was something of a fluke.
80 min: Switzerland substitution: Felix Mambimbi on for Dan Ndoye. Swiss substitution from earlier: Kastriot Imeri on for Jeremie Guillemenot. It was Imeri who teed up Ndoye for that shot from which he scored.
GOAL! England U-21s 0-1 Switzerland U-21s (Ndoye 78)
The Swiss take the lead. It’s a freakish effort from Dan Ndoye, who shoots from outside the box, slips and fires the ball off his standing ankle to send it looping over Aaron Ramsdale from distance.
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75 min: England double-substitution: Rhian Brewster and Ryan Sessegnon on for Eddie Nketiah and Dwight McNeil.
74 min: Excellent goalkeeping from Ramsdale, who palms a dipping long-range effort from Andi Zaqiri clear. The ball’s subsequently put out for a Swiss corner from which nothing comes.
73 min: England free-kick, wide on the right. The ball’s curled into the Swiss penalty area and it’s not a great delivery. Eddie Nketiah sends a wild effort at an overhead kick sailing high and wide.
70 min: No sign of a break in the deadlock yet. England attack down the right wing but are forced backwards and then over to the left wing. This Swiss team is very well disciplined.
67 min: England double-substitution: Eberezi Eze and Curtis Jones on for Emile Smith-Rowe and Tom Davies.
63 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi tries to curl the free-kick around the wall and inside the far post. Swiss goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi saves comfortably.
62 min: Eddie Nketiah is fouled by Jan Bamert on the edge of the Swiss penalty area and the Swiss defender is booked. Free-kick for England, just to the left of the D, about two yards outside the penalty area.
60 min: Toma curls the ensuing free-kick into the England penalty area, where Andi Zeqiri is penalised for some manner of infringement.
59 min: Mark Guehi is booked for a sliding tackle on Jeremie Guillemenot. He won the ball but had his studs up. Swiss manager Mauro Lustrinelli calls for a red card, which would be rather harsh.
57 min: Nothing much of note to report in a game summed up by Callum Hudson-Odoi’s forlorn run across the edge of the Swiss penalty area, without finding a way through the stout red wall of resistance.
52 min: Emile Smith-Rowe stands the ball up for Dwight McNeil, who fails to get any purchase on his header in the Swiss penalty area. He needed to be more aggressive as he contested that high ball.
51 min: England lose the ball again while trying to play it out from the back, Tom Davies giving it away under intense pressure. The Swiss scamper forward and Toma is teed up by a pull-back from the byline. With the goal gaping and only Aaron Ramsdale to beat, he thumps his low diagonal effort off the foot of the near post. Another let-off for England.
48 min: England win their first corner of the second half and from the quadrant Callum Hudson-Odoin sends the ball across the edge of the six-yard box. Switzerland clear despite Eddie Nketiah’s attempts to be first to get his head to it.
Second half: England U-21s 0-0 Switzerland U-21s
46 min: Switzerland get the ball rolling for the second half with no changes in personnel on either side. Each manager is allowed to make up to six substitutions but only has three windows in which to make them.
Half-time: England U-21s 0-0 Switzerland U-21s
Peep! It’s all square in Slovenia, where Switzerland have had the pick of a limited number of chances. Andi Zeqiri squandered the best chance of the game, while England’s best efforts have come from corners. It’s been pretty cagey, with moments of quality from either side few and far between.
43 min: Toma sprints to the byline and tries to square the ball. It hits the hand of Marc Guehi and goes out for a corner. Switzerland appeal for a penalty but none is forthcoming. It was completely accidental on the part of the England defender but I have no idea whether or not that actually matters any more.
42 min: Eddie Nketiah tries to send Emile Smith-Rowe on his way down the right wing but succeeds only in firing the ball out of play for a Swiss throw-in.
40 min: England corner. Dwight McNeil sends the ball long to the far post, where Ben Godfrey heads wide. England are looking dangerous from corners but need to get their headed efforts on target.
39 min: Dwight McNeil does well to dispossess Bastien Toma in the England penalty area after the Swiss winger had run on to a long diagonal pass from midfield and looked to have the beating of the Burnley man.
35 min: It remains fairly cagey, with both sides more interested in not losing this Group D opener than winning it. Portugal and Croatia, the other two teams in this group, meet this evening in the same Slovenian stadium, just a few miles from the Italian border.
33 min: Another corner for England, from the other side. Lloyd Kelly meets the ball this time, but steers his cushioned header wide of the far post.
31 min: England win a corner, which Callum Hudson-Odoi takes. His cross from the left is met by Tom Davies, who mistimes his jump and is unable to steer the ball goalwards.
29 min: Andi Zeqiri sends a header flashing narrowly wide of the upright, getting on the end of a cross after Switzerland took a short corner. They won the set-piece when Aaron Ramsdale was forced to dive low to his right to scramble a low Dan Ndoye drive from distance wide. I don’t think it was on target, but the England goalkeeper wasn’t taking any chances.
26 min: Tom Davies gives the ball away, only to have it chested back his way by Bastien Toma. He plays it towards McNeil on the left flank as England continue trying to find a way through the Swiss defence. They’re relying on crosses and shots from distance as things stand in the absence of a killer pass.
24 min: Hudson-Odoi and Max Aarons combine down the right flank and the Norwich City defender sends a cross into the penalty area. Goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi has a bit of a flap at the ball under pressure from Nketiah but wins hismelf a free-kick.
23 min: Hugging the left touchline, Dwight McNeil gets his head down, gallops forward and sends in a cross with his left foot. There’s nobody in an England shirt in the Swiss penalty arera to get on the end of it.
22 min: Jankewitz tries to play a ball over the top for Zeqiri to chase, but overhits his delivery. Aaron Ramsdale collects and sends England on their way again.
20 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi picks up a lay-off from Tom Davies in the Swiss penalty area, jinks his way past two players and curls an effort wide.
18 min: Switzerland try to play their way through England’s high press, but Bastien Toma is unable to keep the ball in play out by the right touchline before hacking it down the pitch.
16 min: England break down the other end of the pitch and Tom Davies is teed up by a pull-back to the edge of the penalty area. He attempts to curl the ball into the top corner but his effort whistles narrowly wide.
14 min: Aaron Ramsdale is called into action again, getting down to save a Zequiri right-footed effort after England had lost the ball while trying to play out from the back. He should have scored, but dilly-dallied as he tried to get the ball on to his stronger foot.
13 min: “Keep it moving!” shouts Aidy Boothroyd from his technical area.
12 min: Jeremie Guillemenot takes the first shot in anger from outside the England penalty area. His low drive doesn’t trouble Aaron Ramsdale, who gets down quickly to clutch the ball to his chest.
11 min: England are dominating possession but struggling to create anything in the way of an opening in the face of a well organised Swiss rear-guard.
9 min: Jan Bamert sells his goalkeeper woefully short with a terrible backpass, but Eddie Nketiah doesn’t react quickly enough to take advantage. A lucky escape for the Swiss.
8 min: The Swiss are employing a high press as England try to play the ball out from the back; news that may come as a surprise to anyone who witnessed the long ball tactics of Boothroyd’s Watford side many years ago.
7 min: In his co-playmaker role behind Eddie Nketiah, Callum Hudson-Odoi is already finding a lot of space and seeing plenty of the ball.
5 min: Switzerland striker Andi Zequiri goes down injured under a ball-winning challenge from Oliver Skipp in midfield but England play on. It’s been quite a confident start from Boothroyd’s side.
3 min: Ben Godfrey plays the ball wide to Max Aarons, who helps it on to Callum Hudson-Odoi. Switzerland win it back and launch an attack down the left wing. Godfrey moves across and puts the ball out for a throw-in.
2 min: Twice winners of this tournament, England’s recent record is not good. They’ve gone out at the group stages in four of the past five tournaments. Their opponents today have lined up in a 4-4-2.
England Under-21s v Switzerland Under-21s is go ...
1 min: Eddie Nketiah gets England off to a winning start by emerging victorious from the coin-toss and his side kicks off. The Swiss players wear red shirts, white shorts and red socks. The players of England wear white shirts, navy shorts and white socks.
Not long now: The teams are out on the pitch and line up for the national anthems and the last of the pre-match formalities. It’s Switzerland’s first, followed by England’s.
Alexandre Jankewitz: Some of you may recognise a familiar name in the Switzerland line-up. Midfielder Alex Jankwitz incurred the wrath of Southampton manager Ralf Hasenhuttl after being sent off for an awful tackle on Scott McTominay within two minutes of the start of that 9-0 defeat in early February.
England’s formation: It looks like Boothroyd will set his side up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Lloyd Kelly, Marc Guehi and Ben Godfrey comprising a back three and Dwight McNeil and Max Aarons playing as wing-backs. Oliver Skipp and Tom Davies will play in the centre of midfield, behind a front three of Emile Smith-Rowe, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah.
An email: “Boothroyd’s baffling selections continue,” writes Robert Lin. “How does Curtis Jones not get the nod in midfield? A regular starter for Liverpool but not good enough for the Under-21s?”
England: There is no shortage of Big Name Premier League experience in the England line-up, with regulars from the Sheffield United, Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley first teams in the starting 11. Arsenal midfielder Emile SMith-Rowe makes his debut today, while Marc Guehi (Swansea on loan from Chelsea) and Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth) are probably the two least recognisable names.
England Under-21s v Switzerland Under-21s
England Under-21 (3-4-3): Ramsdale, Aarons, Godfrey, Guehi, Kelly, Davies, Skipp, Hudson-Odoi, Smith-Rowe, McNeil, Nketiah.
Subs: Tanganga, Bursik, Eze, Ryan Sessegnon, Griffiths, Madueke, Jones, Brewster, Cantwell, Gallagher, Steven Sessegnon, Wilmot.
Switzerland U-21 (4-3-1-2): Racioppi, Lotomba, Bamert, Zesiger, Muheim, Toma, Domgjoni, Jankewitz, Ndoye, Guillemenot, Zeqiri.
Subs: Kohn, Van Der Werff, Sidler, Ruegg, Pusic, Fayulu, Rieder, Stergiou, Sohm, Imeri, Stojilkovic, Mambimbi.
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (Georgia)
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How England qualified: England won nine of their 10 qualifiers, the only blemish on their otherwise pristine record a surprise draw with Andorra. A win against Turkey in October ensured they qualified as winners of Group Three. They scored 34 goals in qualifying, coneding just nine, and are among the tournament favourites with France, Spain and Germany.
England's Under-21 squad for the European Championships
Goalkeepers: Josef Bursik (Stoke City), Josh Griffiths (Cheltenham Town, loan from West Bromwich Albion), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield United)
Defenders: Max Aarons (Norwich City), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Marc Guehi (Swansea City, loan from Chelsea), Lloyd Kelly (AFC Bournemouth), Ryan Sessegnon (Hoffenheim, loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Steven Sessegnon (Bristol City, loan from Fulham), Japhet Tanganga (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Wilmot (Watford)
Midfielders: Tom Davies (Everton), Ebere Eze (Crystal Palace), Conor Gallagher (West Bromwich Albion, loan from Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Dwight McNeil (Burnley), Oliver Skipp (Norwich City, loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Attackers: Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United) , Todd Cantwell (Norwich City), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Noni Madueke (PSV Eindhoven), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
Update: Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood dropped out of the England squad to contest the Euros with injury before the team travelled to Slovenia on Tuesday, prompting Boothroyd to call up Norwich City’s Todd Cantwell in his place.
Group D: England v Switzerland
The Bonfika Stadium in Slovenia is the venue as England kick off their bid to win this year’s European U-21 Championship. Aidy Boothroyd’s side have been drawn with Switzerland, Portugal and Croatia in Group D, with their three matches to be played between now and the end of the month.
Those who advance to the business end of the tournament will return to Slovenia and Hungary to contest the knockout stages in May and June, with the final to be played in Ljubljana’s Stozice Stadium on 6 June. We’ll get some sort of idea whether or not England might be playing in it over the coming week. Kick-off today is at 2pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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