Arsenal duo set to face France in u17 Euro quarter-finals
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly were pivotal in the England u17s securing progression to the knockout stages of the u17 European Championships this month.
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.
Manager Ryan Garry took the opportunity to rest Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly from the start, with a tight turnaround to the knockout stages.
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England knew they only needed a draw to finish top of the group, but they were somewhat lucky to get it.
Switzerland saw a penalty saved and a late chance hitting the woodwork as they came close to a winner, with Nwaneri coming on for the final 15 minutes.
0-0 was enough to see England finishing top of the group, and they’ll now face Group C runners-up France on Saturday, May 27th at 20:00 BST.
Though France are never an easy opponent, England at least avoided Group C winners Germany, who have won all of their games – scoring 10 times and conceding once.
If England can beat France, they’ll face either Spain or the Republic of Ireland in the semi-finals on Tuesday, May 30th. The final is on Friday, June 2nd.
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are likely to return to the England starting lineup against France, as they push to extend their time away with the national team.
The games are available to watch on UEFA.tv or the BBC, with all of England’s games covered live.
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