England began their defence of the European U21 Championship with a 3-1 victory over Czechia at the MOL Arena in Slovakia.
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, Marseille’s Jonathan Rowe and Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell grabbed the goals as Lee Carsley’s side made a positive start to the tournament.
Daniel Fila, who plays club football in Italy for Serie A club Venezia, pulled one back moments after England had doubled their lead shortly after the break.
But, in the end, the competition holders proved too strong for their opponents as Carsley’s young Lions picked a much-needed win in their Group B opener.
Job done on matchday one.
Lee Carsley’s #YoungLions are off to a winning start at the #U21EURO finals! 💪 pic.twitter.com/r4HLIXR8nu
— England (@England) June 12, 2025
How the action unfolded
It was a largely uneventful opening half-hour, punctuated by a couple of decent chances for both sides. James Beadle in the Three Lions goal saved well from Stepan Chaloupek, while Czech captain Vaclav Sejk and England’s Omari Hutchinson went close.
And it was Hutchinson who would go on to play a key role in the build-up to England’s opener in the 39th minute, the Ipswich Town winger bursting forward before the ball found its way to Tino Livramento.
The Newcastle full-back looped in a cross that found its way to Elliott via James McAtee. The Liverpool man, who was part Carsley’s squad when England lifted the European trophy two years ago, rifled the ball into the net with a low, hard finish.
HARVEY FIRES IN THE OPENER! 😀 pic.twitter.com/jqKh3xDGve
— England (@England) June 12, 2025
Despite taking the lead, it was a far from comfortable first-half for England, with several moments of lapse defending from Carsley’s team.
But three minutes after the break, England gave themselves some breathing space when Livramento produced a bit of trickery out wide before sending in a low cross that was flicked in by Rowe.
However, the Czech’s were handed a lifeline just moments later when Fila nodded home Sejk’s delivery to halve the deficit.
From there, the game started to settle down. England dominated possession but their opponents always offered a threat.
IT’S THREE! ⚽️
Our #YoungLions‘ two-goal cushion is restored as Charlie Cresswell heads home from a corner 👏 pic.twitter.com/vzvFWdVBDQ
— England (@England) June 12, 2025
But with a quarter of an hour remaining, Carsley’s side restored their two-goal advantage when Cresswell headed in Alex Scott’s corner.
It all but secured the three points for England and ensured a winning start to the European Championship title defence.
Up next for the Three Lions is Slovenia on Sunday before a mouth-watering clash with Germany on Wednesday.
