England U17s Fall Short Against France in UEFA U17 EURO Elite Group

England men’s under-17s have ended their UEFA U17 EURO elite group campaign with a 2-1 defeat against France at St George’s Park, falling short of claiming the top spot in the group.

Greg Lincoln‘s Young Lions and France entered the final group match in a promising position, with both teams having secured victories in their previous games and vying for a place in the Finals.

The match took an unexpected turn early on as Josh King was controversially denied a penalty after a strong run by the Fulham player was halted in the box, leaving the England camp frustrated by the referee’s decision.

France seized the lead in the 18th minute as Darryl Bakola capitalized on a left-flank cross to put Les Bleus ahead, setting the tone for the match.

England faced a setback when skipper Chris Rigg was shown a red card in the 24th minute following a challenge on Rayane Messi Tanfouri, leaving the Young Lions with ten men for the majority of the game.

France extended their lead with Messi Tanfouri converting a penalty in the first half, leaving England with a 2-0 deficit going into halftime.

A resilient England side, despite being a man down, showed determination in the second half, limiting France’s attacking opportunities and creating chances of their own.

Ethan Nwaneri found the back of the net for England in the 70th minute, providing a glimmer of hope with a well-taken goal after a lofted ball from Christian McFarlane.

Despite late efforts, including a near-miss from substitute Jay Robinson, England couldn’t find the equalizer, ultimately falling short against a strong French side.

The result means that even though England did not claim the top spot in the group, their earlier success in the UEFA U17 EURO qualifiers secures them a place in the Finals in Cyprus this summer.

The England U17 lineup included players such as Oliver Whatmuff (Manchester City), Leo Shahar (Newcastle United), Christian McFarlane (New York City), Joshua King (Fulham), Stephen Mfuni (Manchester City), Kian Noble (Manchester City), Christopher Rigg (Sunderland), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Baylee Dipepa (Port Vale), Ollie Harrison (Chelsea), and Divine Mukasa (Manchester City).

Substitutes Harry Amass (Manchester United), Jay Robinson (Southampton), and Luca Fletcher (Manchester City) also featured in the match under the guidance of Head Coach Greg Lincoln.