The Young Lions needed at least a win to keep their semi-finals hopes alive. Meanwhile, the English players needed at least a five-goal-margin win to claim the top spot of the group A. Eventually, they clinched a 4-0 win over Qatar.
The England head coach Aidy Boothroyd has opted for a very offensive starting line-up : Armstrong, Abraham, Nketiah as well as Nmecha, all these forwards have started this game against Qatar.
However, the title holders waited a long period before breaking the deadlock. They have waited precisely 38 minutes and they took the lead thanks to… an own goal scored by Ahmed Suhail just before the half time.
This opener has boosted the confidence of the Young Lions who created a huge number of chances after that. Ronaldo Vieira doubled the lead for his side thanks to long-range shot. Few minutes later, Abraham has eventually found the net from close-range after missing some opportunities in the first half.
The Aidy Boothroyd’s men continued to improve their goal difference as Armstrong netted the fourth goal of his team thanks to a curled effort.
Thanks to their second win in the competition, England finished just behind Mexico. It means that the title holders have to wait the results of the other groups to know if they will play or not the semi-finals.
Azir Said Mohamed Cheik
Credits photo : Hélène Dos Santos
England – Qatar : 4-0
Matchday 3 - Group A
Stade Parsemain, Fos sur Mer
Goals : Alhama (37', o.g), Viera (52'), Abraham (56'), Armstrong (66')
England : Ramsdale – Clarke-Salter (c), Fry, Kenny – Pearce, Viera, Davies (Cook, 40e), Nmecha – Armstrong, Abraham (Connolly, 77e), Nketiah
Coach : Aidy Boothroyd
Qatar : S.Ellethy – Alminhali, B.Ellethy, Alhama, Karami – Abdusalam (c), Al Ahmad (Ali Saei, 73e), Alyazidi (Mousa, 59e) – Alganehi, Abdurisag, Almurisi (Palang, 47e)
Coach : Bruno Pinheiro
Referees : M.Rudolf (CAN), M. Barwegen (CAN), M.Belleau (CAN)