U17 Euros: France 4-1 Germany Match Report

France have won the 2015 Euro U-17 Championships with a deserved 4-1 victory over Germany. The match could have yielded a far higher margin of victory had the French, and in particular Nanitamo Ikone, made more of the numerous one on one opportunities afforded to them. As it was Edsonne Edouard provided the firepower, scoring an excellent hat-trick that saw him finish as the tournament’s clear top sorer with seven goals.

In what proved to be one of the most entertaining, and tactically naïve, finals in recent history both sides decided that attack was not only the best form of defense, it was their only form of defense. In a first half (which proved to be a half of two quarters), the French dominated the opening twenty minutes with their superior technique and should have been three nil up after chances for Cognat, Ikone and Rene Adelaide went to waste. All were set up through the French’s trademark moves combining phsyique with technical excellence executed at high speed, yet all were let down by the final strike.

In another match it would have been said that the French would regret not taking their chances but such was the speed and regularity they were opening Germany up it seemed impossible they wouldn’t score.

To their credit Germany succeeded in the match’s second quarter in disrupting the French flow playing out from deep positions through their clever use of physicality and chances soon started to come for them as they exposed France’s defence – untested at the Championships until then. Johannes Eggestein was a continual pest up front for Germany and winning the ball he turned inside Doucoure before driving across the eighteen yard line and aiming a well struck left footed shot that spun just the wrong side of Zidane’s goal.

That ignited a flurry of German chances (the whole game could be described as a flurry of chances) as they set up camp in the French half and should have taken the lead themselves when Eggestein once more bothered Doucoure and pulled the ball back for Niklas Schmidt who fluffed his shot wide of the far post.

Passlack had the next effort with a half volley over the bar from Eggestein’s knock-down and Schmidt stung Zidane’s gloves with a well hit thirty yard free-kick that the keeper patted down to gather.

Though Germany were now creating openings from maximizing France’s errors in their own half it still came as little surprise when France went ahead on the stroke of half-time. Ikone and Georgen worked the space well down the right and the latter’s pull back came to Boutobba who swiped and missed but the calm Edouard was waiting behind him to strike and score, playing the ball back across Frommann who was sprinting in the other direction to close the angle down.

France might have wished that all their chances fell to Edouard and they began the second half in similar vein to the first with both Ikone, Adelaide and Bouttobba creating excellent chances they all contrived to miss. By this time the German defenders were happily playing Ikone through on goal secure in the belief that he would soon return them the ball – though Frommann, probably the best keeper at the tournament, does deserve credit for his plentiful stops.

Unsurprisingly when Edouard got his next chance he wasn’t going to follow his team-mates example, although he did need the aid of a lucky bounce and all of his physique to hold off the defender, he confidently struck past Frommann.

There was no lull in the action as chances kept on coming and it was Germany who were next to score. A Schmidt free-kick found Eggestein whose clever header was well reached by Zidane, but he didn’t have enough strength to lift the ball over the bar, and as it dipped he was only able palm the ball onto the head of Erdinc Karakas and into the net.

By this time the game had no resemblance to the scoreline and anything felt possible, yet what was most likely all along occurred in the 70^th minute when Edouard got his deserved hat-trick with a goal taken in fine style. Taking the ball past the hapless German defense with a lovely first touch from Bouttobba’s pass he widened the angle then deftly dinked the ball over Frommann to confirm France’s victory – more than deserved on the number of chances they had created and the quality of their play over the tournament.

Germany kept on going for another goal but they had neither the class in midfield nor the power, touch and intelligence of Edouard up front and the scoreline became even more ignominious for them in injury time when the bandy legged substitute Issa Samba tore down the wing and his cross was comically slid into his own net by Gokhan Gul in a labored attempt to clear.

U17 Euros: Germany 1-0 Russia Match Report

After a 1-0 victory over Russia in a technically impoverished match, Germany will face France in the final.

The first half was consistent in its lack of quality from both sides, with the play liberally interspersed with poor touches and inaccurate passes. Germany’s worst performance of the tournament so far allowed the Russian’s to look a far better side then they had against England, while the German’s struggled to build play cohesively under Russia’s high pressing, with Passlack’s influence minimized.

For their part Russia were brighter in midfield with the combination of Makhatadze and Galinin energetic in their work, but for all their effort, especially Galinin’s enthusiasm running with the ball, they produced chances sporadically with the game characterized by players with greater physique than technique.

Of the few openings either side worked, the German’s had the better and hit the post twice; the first from a long range Ozcan snapshot that tipped the bar on its way over. The second came from a deep swirling free-kick that Gul escaped round the back of the Russian defence to meet and head across goal, hitting the outside of the far post.

In truth on their general performance Germany didn’t deserve the lead, with Russia constructing the best goalscoring chances in opening play. On the half hour mark Pletnev had been played through by Denisov and his strong shot was been palmed away for a corner by Frommann. Six minutes later Tataev brought the ball out of defence and spotted space for Galinin who receiving the pass ran hard at the German defence, swerving away from one tackle before slashing an effort over.

The second half continued in much the same pattern with Russia showing the better ideas, but without the ability to open up the German defence. For their part the German’s displayed better execution of a more basic attacking plan, playing off the target man Serra, and had greater tactical nous as individuals which made it unlikely they were going to concede, while their deficit of offensive ability meant they were only slightly more likely to score.

It was that profile of their team that meant for all the disappointment of their performance they still had the better chances of the second half. Three minutes in Passlack nudged Tataev off the ball then cut inside the covering defender onto his right foot before his shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Serra whose lack of agility saw him choke his shot wide as he tried to pivot and volley.

The Russian’s immediately followed this up with the best worked move of the game, Galinin played a neat one-two with Pletnev, and getting in down the right-hand channel his low shot was well dealt with by Frommann.

For the next twenty minutes the match descended into a attritional affair and it was painful to see a German side, selected for its physique, with more talented players left on the bench, unable to use the ball in a constructive manner.

It was with the introduction of one of their best technicians, Niklas Schmidt, that the German’s improved slightly and it wasn’t long before he set up a chance for Passlack. Winning the ball high off the Russian midfield Germany broke three-on-two and Schmidt played in Passlack whose shot was too close to Maksimenko who saved with a strong left wrist.

The game had long appeared to be heading for penalties but Germany got the goal they sought twelve minutes from the end. Fittingly for such a physical game it was decided by a header. Having switched the ball out wide to Akyol, Germany awaited on the delivery, which was the best of the match, and the Giraffe like Serra executed a perfect centre-forwards header across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner for the only goal of the game.

That was enough to see Germany toil they way past a generally quite poor Russian side and they must know that their performance will need to markedly improve against an equally physical, but far more technical France side if they are to win the final.

U17 Euros: France 1-1 Belgium Match Report

France are through to final after winning a low scoring penalty shoot out 2-1 having drawn 1-1 in normal time with Belgium.

In theory, Belgium were France’s biggest test yet, France however were assured from the off and as with their performance against Italy dominated down their right flank. Despite Jeff Reine Adelaide replacing Ikone – who’d been moved to the left flank – their operations down the right were as smooth as ever with the outstanding Georgen a guarantee of quality supply and overlapping runs. Belgium left-back Christopher Janssens often found himself abandoned to two on one situations by the non-existent defensive work of Ismail Azzaoui, and was exposed throughout the half.

When the Belgian’s did manage to get the ball they were allowed to keep it inside their own half but found progression over the half way line inevitably resulted in losing the ball, unable to retain it as they were against France’s muscularity and organisation.

It took the French twenty three minutes to open the scoring with the goal coming from the prolific Edsonne Edouard. Having won a free-kick twenty yards out he stepped up and powerfully side-footed it down the keeper’s side of the wall, although Teunckens got a hand on it, he was only able to push it into the net via the inside of the post.

The French had further chances to increase their lead, the best of which came to Edouard after Reine Adeleide had once more beaten Janssens on the outside and been fouled at the cost of a penalty. Edouard’s penalty – in keeping with many of the efforts so far at the tournament – was comfortably saved by Teunckens in a precursor of events to come.

The Second half featured improved work-rate from Belgium who were far more successful in restricting the French possession and mounting attacks of their own. While none of these produced any great chances, they benefited from French defensive slackness and almost equalised six minutes into the half. Following a defensive mix up that stemmed from a poor Zidane clearance, Upamecano and Cognat defensive foibles left Azzaoui with the chance to shoot from ten yards. He pulled the Belgian’s best chance wide of the post, but that defensive iffiness would be exposed just four minutes later.

Zidane was at fault, and it wasn’t his first or last mistake as he attempted to claim an inswinging corner, but got under the ball, giving Seigers an open goal to head into for the Belgian equaliser. While it may not have been deserved, with France quite clearly the better team, they had only themselves to blame with their poor finishing in the first half, and a low intensity opening to the second.

From then on France created a multitude of half chances, with the Belgian’s clinging onto the result in the hope of repeating their shoot out victory over Croatia. Bouttobba was cleverly set up by an Edouard flick but fired too close at Teunckens; Edouard should have done better following a Mouassa cross – poking the ball into the side netting after a poor first touch. Georgen – the man of the match – crafted the best chance of the game for himself in the final ten minutes when he shimmied inside three challenges, opening the goal up in a central position but his left-footed strike was at a nice height for Teunckens to fend the ball away.

So the game went to what was quite possibly the poorest and most bizarre penalty shoot in European U-17 Championship history. The Belgian’s were confident of a strong showing after a perfect set of penalties against Croatia, but they failed with their first effort – Zidane saving Janssen’s dribbled strike. That poor standard seemed to put all the following takers off, with only three out of ten penalties scored.

The fourth French penalty taken by a confident Zidane was both the high and lowlight of the series. Flushed from just seeing Ademoglu hit the post, he speedily ran up and attempted a Panenka (surely the first goalkeeper to do so) only to see it turn into a lesser Zidane and flick the top of the crossbar on its way over. Zidane then followed that shame up by holding onto Azzaoui’s penalty, Belgium’s fourth miss out of five, which fittingly left Edouard – the only man who’d missed a penalty in normal time – to step up and redeem himself by slotting France into the 2015 U-17 European Championship final.

U17 Euros: France 3-0 Italy Match Report

France overran Italy 3-0 and head into a semi-final with Belgium as convincing favorites after an impressive performance that could have resulted in a larger scoreline.

The French were out of the blocks and a goal up after five minutes, and having completely dominated Italy for the opening fifteen minutes they will have been disappointed they didn’t accrue a greater advantage.

PSG team-mates Georgen and Ikone lined up together on the right and were prominent from the off with their skilful interplay opening up the Italian left flank at will. Italian left-back Giraudo had a particularly torrid time against Ikone’s blend of trickery, pace and power and it was unsurprising that it was Ikone who set up the first goal. Giraudo contributed to it by trying to predict the pass out to him and getting under the ball which took him out of the game, giving Ikone a free run into the penalty area. With the ball sticking under his feet on the rough pitch, he rather hacked it across goal with his weaker right foot, where fellow PSG player, Edsonne Edouard, insouciantly flicked it in on the run.

The French continued to move the ball well, with their technique, touch and understanding of the game the best so far seen at the tournament with it often appearing the French were an U19 side facing an U17 one. While they have physical players, most notably Edouard whose athleticism at this level is an unfair advantage, it’s too easy to characterise them as a side that are all about physique. In many ways the French compare favourably with the German’s who also have a lot of well developed players, but nowhere near as much skill.

Most impressive about the French was the lack of technical white noise. At youth level watchers become accustomed to the fact there are going to be loose touches, passes, and naivete, but so good were the French, the occasions when they did give the ball away cheaply were as surprising as when seeing a senior plater err.

Edouard was soon using his physique to sprint past defenders and he might have scored twice in the half after rushing past the helpless Italian defence to go one on one with Donnorumma who did well to deny him, first with a sprawling save to his right, and later with his chest as he closed down the angle. While the first comparison for Edouard is an unfavourable one with Connor Wickham, Benteke might be a more analogous comparison for his build and technical smoothness.

There were a number of exciting performers for the French, but perhaps none more so than their left-back Mouassa, who slit the Italian’s right flank open on several occasions with skilful runs. His presence on the left was counterbalanced by the excellent Georgen on the right.

France began the second half in similar vein to the first and could have been three up had it been for better finishing from Ikone and Cognat who both worked space from themselves with lovely pieces of skill before narrowly missing.

The Italians by this point had decided they had nothing to lose and had changed at half-time to playing two strikers up top in Cutrone and Scammacca, while the right back Scalera was moved up into a wing-back position to provide for the strikers. From this route Italy fashioned their best chance to equalise with Scammacca and Cutrone pulling off a perfect impression of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke’s famous double one-two against Barcelona in ’99. The only fault came at the end where one-on-one with Zidane, Cutrone reverted to being himself and saw his shot saved by the keeper.

The French responded by making use of the newly available space and within a minute of Cutrone’s chance the lively Boutobba had a firmly struck sighter from twenty yards saved by Donnarumma after clever link up play from Edouard.

A minute later the match was finished as a contest, Boutobba interchanged position with Ikone and tricked his way down the right. Pulling the ball perfectly back onto Ikone’s head he watched, along with the Italian defence and keeper, as Ikone redirected it into the far corner. It was a display of ruthlessness as the Italian’s came out trying to get a result that made clear France’s quality as a team.

To be fair to the Italians they kept on trying and began to expose French weaknesses in the back-line where Upamecano and Doucoure, previously so comfortable, showed poor decision making when it came to holding their line for offside calls. It was as Doucoure rushed forward trying to play Scammacca offside that Llamas was able to play him through with a clever ball and the striker settled himself before curling the ball just wide of the post.

Edouard was still terrorising the Italian’s and a neat exchange between him and Cognat left the French skipper with a open goal protected only by the covering Llamas after Edouard had rounded the keeper. Cognat though soon had his head in his hands as he followed his display of almost impeccable passing in the French midfield by weighting the ball perfectly into the feet of the grateful Llamas.

There was to be one more triumphant moment for the French as they came on strong in the final ten minutes with their substitutes determined to impress. Recycling the ball from a corner, Cognat played the ball inside Scalera for Ruiz to cross low and Edouard – who has a terrific affinity for flicks and makes sure to leave no match without having performed a minimum quota of them – pirouetted around the ball and balletically sent it skidding in with a back heel for the coup de grace.

That was the end of the goals and a demoralised Italy side played out the final ten minutes knowing they had been outclassed by an excellent French team. The Italian’s will play Croatia in the World Cup play-offs while France progress to face Belgium for an intriguing semi-final clash.

U17 Euros: Russia 1-0 England Match Report

Russia will play Germany in the semi-finals after a sterling defensive performance and few slices of luck were enough to see them beat England 1-0.

The Russian’s edged what was a frustrating first half for the English who will have felt themselves marginally the better side. They missed a penalty; hit the post; almost caused their opponents to score an own goal; and had numerous positions around the area to create chances that too often resulted in little, against a packed, well organised Russian defence.

Russia’s threat in large came from set pieces where the tall centre-back Tataev was a constant problem and it was he who gave them the lead in the 29^th minute. Profiting from Woolston’s misjudgement of a swinging delivery he was able to get round the back post and head towards an open goal. Had Woolston stayed on his line he would easily have saved, as it was Nathan Holland did his best to get across from the post and cleared the ball off the line, but after a moment’s confusion, with Tataev celebrating while his team-mates were unsure whether the goal had been given, the linesman awarded it. While it was guesswork, as even TV replays weren’t conclusive, it was probably the right decision.

At that point England could only blame themselves for being behind, not only had they had several warnings about Tataev’s aerial threat, but Holland had missed a penalty won by Mavididi four minutes earlier; Mavididi himself placing the rebound onto the foot of the post.

Just a minute before Tataev scored – what would prove to be the winning goal – he had almost scored for England. A defensive mix up involving a bobbling pack pass to the keeper had resulted in Maksimenko’s rushed pass hitting Tataev on the knee. With the ball trickling towards the goal line, he was just able to get back and slide it away.

Beyond that England struggled to create openings against a Russia defence that often consisted of ten men, with the neat runs of Edwards, Willock, and Holland yielding little, whilst the crosses, final balls, and Mavididi’s movement were all disappointing. With the Russian’s going a goal up, it played into their strengths and England’s weaknesses.

England began the second half with a concentrated focus and almost got the precious equaliser when Willock’s run set up Holland on the edge of the penalty area. His shot was headed for the bottom corner till a deflection from Kalugin took it past the flailing Maksimenko and onto the crossbar.

At that point it appeared Russia wouldn’t be able to hold out against the English pressure, but that was as close to scoring as England would come – defied for the rest of the game by the excellent central defensive pairing of Kalugin and Tataev. In truth they were not overly tested by the English strikers, nor the quality of crosses, with it taking England until the 83^rd minute to finally put anything resembling a useful cross in.

Visibly fatigued from the 60^th minutes the Russian’s became encamped in their half and were relying on their defensive shape and England’s shortcomings to get them through. They had suffered an injury crisis throughout the game, having had to make all their substitutions by the 50^th minute, and several players struggled with cramp as the game wore on.

Still they were the team who created the best opportunity to score. The powerful and tricky Denisov had worried the English centre-backs whenever he’d been supplied and getting the ball on the half-way line, with the English defenders pushed high, he lead the breakout, beating Oxford and running down the left flank till he crossed well for Galinin in the area. Tracking back Edun nudged him from behind and the penalty was awarded. As with Holland’s in the first half, both the keeper and the ball went the same way with Woolston going to his right to make a comfortable save from Tsygankov.

From then on England toiled with little result as individual’s tried to do too much and the team’s limitations were exposed against a tactically and defensively strong Russia side who were able to close out the threat of Edwards and Willock through sheer weight of numbers, whilst the ball never quite fell for England. Their performance became even more ignominious when Tayo Edun received a second yellow card a few minutes from the end for a petulant push on Galinin.

In the end it was a frustrating result for England, who might have scored three on another day, but their weaknesses as a team, particularly up-front, were once more exposed, with it being a telling fact that in their four games at these championships neither of their striker’s are yet to score.

The Russian’s are becoming masters of the winning of U-17 Euro’s in this particular style, whether it pays off in the long term is another thing, but for now credit is due for a determined defensive performance in difficult conditions. Having qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile they now have a semi-final tie with Germany to look forward to.

England will go into a play-off with Spain to decide who else will go to Chile and if they should get through, they will achieve their realistic pre-tournament target, one which had suddenly raised when they drew Russia; a vain hope as it proved. Whatever the result at these championships England were always going to be confident there are a few players in this group who can go onto much bigger things in the senior game and the management will not be unduly disappointed. In the longer term hopes turn to the ’99 generation for whom hopes – as with the victorious ’93 and ’97 generations – are already high a year in advance.

U17 Euros: Croatia 1-1 Belgium Match Report

Belgium qualified for the semi-finals after penalties were required to separate two well-matched teams after they’d played out a 1-1 draw.

Following their 0-0 draw against Spain, the Croatians reverted to their first choice lineup, while the Belgium made three changes which included the box-to-box midfielder Dante Rigo in midfield, replacing the injured Mangala.

As many of the heavyweight contests at these Championships have begun so far, the game set out as a tactical puzzle with the Croats pushing six men deep into the Belgian half to stop the Belgian defenders playing into midfield, with a clear focus on nullifying Ademoglu’s influence. For 20 minutes, the ball was predominantly in the Belgian half as they unsuccessfully looked to try to go around the pressing then began targeting the wide men with long balls, all of which yielded little of note. When either side did get the ball in the other’s half – the Belgian’s from playing over the pressing, the Croats from winning the ball high – there was a lack of quality from both sides and attacks soon fizzled out.

With the Croatian tactics prevailing, their control in the game grew and they began to put some neat moves together, with the left-side pairing of Sosa and Brekalo once more impressive in their understanding of the other’s game. Yet as Croatia attacked they left space for the Belgians and it was as a result of one of these forays that the first clear chance of the game arrived.

Having won a corner the Belgians would have hoped for better quality from Daneels with his scuffed attempt bouncing five yards before the defender who was unable to judge the flight and the ball ricocheted into the six-yard box, falling kindly at the feet of Janssens four yards from goal. His reflex stab at the ball went straight into the chest of Semper who was able to gather.

Belgium were missing the physique and skill of Mangala and his midfield partner Ademoglu struggled to get on the ball. When he did get it he was one of the few players for either side who was able to use it efficiently and Azzaoui’s best run came after some neat skill in the centre from Ademoglu who able to create space for his team-mate.

It was the Croatians who would take the lead though, and a deserved one considering their tactical, if not technical, dominance of the half. Brekalo delivered an excellent dipping corner from the left which was firmly headed away to the edge of the area. Advancing onto the ball, Lovren tried to skew a half volleyed strike off the outside of his left foot and across the keeper. Overcutting the attempt it screwed of his foot and would have gone well wide had Karlo Majic not improvised a clever flick to divert the ball past Teunckens.

The Croatian attacking trident behind Majic had flickered in and out of the game in the first half, alternating good touches with bad ones, but they began the second half in better form and Lovren’s trickery won another corner. Delivering it himself, he found Kalaica who, back-pedalling, did well to force his header on target and draw an excellent save from Teunckens. Lovren followed that up a moment later with a lovely piece of trickery to beat two defenders on the byline, both with nutmegs, before he was denied by Teunckens at the near post.

Croatia now appeared comfortable and it was a sign of how the game was progressing that the Belgians were forced into harmless long passes looking to play in their forwards. Dante Rigo gave an excellent example of such a pass when playing long in the general direction of Azzaoui, something Kalaica was well positioned to defend. Stepping in to control the ball on his thigh however, it rebounded up off his arm, behind him and into the path of Azzaoui who ran through to dink the ball over Semper and score the the first goal Croatia have conceded at the Championships.

From then on there was a subtle swing in momentum towards the Belgians, who were in better condition than the Croats who’d spent the first half pressing to gain an advantage they were sure they could hold, but had now lost to their own error. They still offered a threat going forward with man of the match Borna Sosa highly impressive in his attacking combination play, work rate and steady performance of his defensive tasks against Daneels.

Though they had the better of the second half possession, Belgium made little of it and their only real chance to score the winner came from a swerving 25-yard drive from Rigo – well saved by Semper.

For Croatia, their chance to win it and take it away from the penalties which both had appeared resigned to from the 65th minute or so, came four minutes from the end. Adrian Zenko played in fellow substitute Marko Babic with a clever clipped ball and Babic lifted the ball over the onrushing keeper with the outside of his foot, but his looping effort bounced a foot wide of the post.

Had it been a group game, a 1-1 draw would have been called a fair result but the knockout called for a winner and the shootout began badly for Croatia when their captain Moro had their first one saved. From then on, it was an exhibition of perfect penalties from both sides which was enough to see Belgium victor with Moro the Croatian fall guy. They still have a chance of qualifying for the Under-17 World Cup via the playoffs but it’s Belgium who will go through to the semis and face the winner of France v Italy.

This post was provided by the excellent Samuel King, who you can follow on Twitter @KingSRV.

U17 Euros: Germany 0-0 Spain Match Report

As with Croatia v Belgium, penalties were needed to divide two sides who had fought out the most intense match yet at the Championships, with Germany winning the penalty shootout 4-2 after a 0-0 draw in normal time.

Apart from a deadlocked opening 10 minutes and a barmy 39th-minute rush of German chances, the Spanish dominated the first half playing with the vivacity, tempo and intensity they had lacked in the group stages. As many chances as they created though, they still couldn’t finish but they left the Germans visibly shaken in the first half after being turned inside-out by the their opponents.

In a marked improvement on their earlier tournament form Olmo, Villalba, Kuki and Perez were all excellent, first in hustling their opponents out of possession – where the likes of Abu Hanna, Nesseler, Gul, Janelt, and Busam were all particularly wasteful – and then dizzying them with their speed, touch and clever movement.

It was that intensity which so disturbed the German keeper Frommann who was rushed off the ball by Villalba, allowing Kuki to shot, but his weak right-footed effort gave Frommann the chance to redeem himself. The next 10 minutes were Spain’s; Perez cut in from the right before firing wide, then Kuki smashed a shot from 20 yards which Frommann did well to parry. From another well-worked move a few minutes afterwards, Olmo was unlucky to narrowly miss out getting on the end of Villalba’s cut-back.

On the 25-minute mark Wuck, the German coach, made a point of sending out three subs to warm up while play was paused for a throw-in. His agitation didn’t lessen as the normally-composed coach was chastised by the fourth official for his protestations as the half wore on. The calm manner in which he took the telling-off was a clear sign of recognition that his true frustrations were with his team and not the officials.

Throughout the half the mind couldn’t help but go back to the Germans’ opening game against the Belgium, where they were outplayed in much the same manner by technically better, physically weaker opponents and yet still managed to win. While they hadn’t managed to create an opening of note in the half, it appeared they might pull the Belgian stunt off again, when they had two brilliant chances inside a minute before the end of the half.

Schmidt, who’d gone largely unsupplied as his midfield team-mates struggled to keep the ball under the Spanish barrage, got in down the right and cut the ball back for Kohlert. His first touch took him past Amo, before his deft chip from a tight angle was saved by Inaki for corner. This was taken deep by Schmidt and, in a clearly-planned training ground routine, three Germans peeled round the back where Gul rose to nod the ball back into the centre for Eggestein to narrowly head over the crossbar. While it would have been completely against the balance (or imbalance) of play it was feasible, on chances alone, that Germany could have gone in at the break with a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, it became evident how much the Spanish had put into the first. A far more even contest ensued in which the Spanish failed to create openings other than long-range shots. The same was largely true of Germany, although their shots were better, with the immensely impressive Felix Passlack coming close when Burnic’s angled pass picked him out and he charged away from two Spanish markers before hitting the ball just wide from 20 yards. It was he again who had the next best chance, using his left foot this time from a similar distance to test Inaki.

The tighter second half, played between two teams still exhausted mentally and physically from the first, made penalties an unsurprising conclusion. The shootout itself was a tale of two keepers and two captains. Inaki and Fromman both dived the right way for two penalties. Of those four savable penalties, Passlack and Alena (the two best players in regular time) were responsible for two, but it was Frommann who won the game for Germany by saving twice (first from Alena) and Inaki who cruelly lost it for Spain, failing to get his palms to two shots he should have kept out.

The Germans will face the winner of England v Russia, while the valiant Spanish have a playoff game to decide whether they will qualify for the 2015 Under-17 World Cup. After this showing, it would be a shame if they don’t.

This post comes courtesy of Samuel King, who you can follow on Twitter @KingSRV.

U17 Euros – The Quarter-Finals: A Preview

The merits of a 16-team tournament were always going to be judged on the strength of the knockout stage and this is an admirably strong line-up, with Friday’s matches proving particularly enticing.

With automatic qualification for the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile assured with a win the quarter-finalists are close to achieving their primary objective before they aim for the the grand prize. The losers will not automatically fail to qualify for the World Cup though, as they go into two untelevised play-off matches, the winners of which will also qualify.

Friday 15th May 2015

Croatia v Belgium
Lazur Stadium, Burgas

On paper this is the most balanced quarter-final tie and promises to be a superb technical and tactical contest. Both teams have stars aplenty, a few of whom may be facing each other again at higher levels in years to come.

Unsurprisingly, given their wholesale use of Dinamo Zagreb’s corresponding age group youth team, Croatia have appeared one of the most well-rounded sides at the Championships with their unity rivalled only by the Germans. Averaging a goal a game in the group stage, their wins have been built on the bedrock of one of the tournament’s best defences which is yet to concede. In keeping with the dominant theme of modern youth football their offensive quality is supplied by their three attacking midfield players, and the triumvirate of Brekalo, Moro and Lovren pose a problem Belgium may struggle to cope with.

Unlike Croatia, the Belgians have been a weaker collective with obvious deficiencies, despite their varied attacking strengths. At the back the talented Wout Faes has made tactical errors in his decision-making and positioning. Up front, target man Denis Van Vaerenbergh has scored twice and generally contributed well but there are still doubts whether he is of the class required to take them to the final. The most glaring fallibility came when they went behind against Germany and wilted in the second half after dominating the first.

Following that painful loss this match provides an opportunity for them to prove their mental resolve against well-matched opposition. Whilst weaknesses are apparent, in spells they have played some of the best football at the Championships with midfielders Ismail Azzaoui, Alper Ademoglu and Orel Mangala all among the tournament’s star performers. Now that the pressure is increasing, scouts of interested English clubs will be watching to see if their performances do likewise.

The match kicks off at 2.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 2

Germany v Spain
Beroe Stadium, Stara Zagora

Having won Group B with a perfect record, the Germans come into this game as the overwhelming favourites against a technically smooth Spanish side whose lack of incisiveness in the final third has seen them struggle to convert possession into goalscoring chances.

Germany seem to have a bit of everything including the broadest squad to choose from, with changes in personnel in the group stages causing no drop-off in performance. Physically and tactically well-prepared, they are all good athletes who have a strong technical base to build from. They attack well with the Werder Bremen duo of number 10 Niklas Schmidt and striker Johannes Eggestein showing their good understanding. They defend well as team too and build play up nicely from the back. They do most things competently and well but their one weakness is that nothing is truly outstanding as individuals other than the team they come to form.

An excess of knowledge and preparation allied to athleticism is what defines this side and is best exemplified by the energy of all-action captain Felix Passlack. Apart from the recurring shakiness down the left side of their defence, their greatest weakness is that many of the players are too alike with Passlack being the best example of the mould of player they posses.

That evenness does make them a very good team at this level but it has been noticeable that, apart from the injured Dorsch, they have no stand-out technicians comparable to the likes of Marcus Edwards, or Orel Mangala. They were technically outclassed by the Belgians in the first half but were pulled through by their strength as a team and two moments of brilliance that they won’t be able to consistently rely upon in the later stages. All that said, their overall package as a unit makes them one of the favourites for the trophy and they should have too much for the Spanish to contend with.

Spain have exerted great effort to get to this stage; for three games in a row they have worked the ball around deep, massaging the shape of their opponents until they are so relaxed they don’t realise how exposed they are. The issue being that most of the time their opponents are safe whatever tactical gashes this use of the ball creates, for Spain have struggled in attack with Kuki underwhelming and Carles Perez and Fran Villalba sparking only momentarily before puttering out.

Their bright spots have been the Barcelona pair of captain Carlos Alena who has led his team well and conducted much of their possession play that his attackers are unable to capitalise on, and left-back Cucurella. The later, scuttling up and down the left flank, plays with a fevered passion that should make for a fine contest if Passlack starts at right wing-back.

The match kicks off at 5.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 1

Saturday 16th May 2015

England v Russia
Lazur Stadium, Burgas

The relative weakness of Group C always meant that whoever tied its second place qualifier was always likely to receive the blessing of the quarter-finals’ least challenging opponent and so it has proved with Group D winners England facing a Russian side who would have done well to qualify from any other group.

England have mixed impressive periods of attacking play with those of poor possession work so far, but after deservedly qualifying top of the the hardest group they will be confident they can continue in the tournament while gaining momentum and experience. The latter is of precious importance for the the six schoolboys involved in the squad, a number of whom have excelled despite mixing matches and training with revision and exams. Marcus Edwards was always picked out as the most talented member of this team and, in tandem with the direct running of Chris Willock, they have been two of the most impressive players at the tournament with much of the team’s offensive hopes invested in their abilities.

Great credit must also go to the Liverpool schoolboys Trent Arnold and Herbie Kane, who were unused in the qualifiers and have done superbly well to come into midfield and give a combination of technique, energy and tactical awareness to the team that was badly needed alongside Tom Davies. With Arnold and Davies missing the Ireland game through injury, hopes of English long-term progression rest on the return of at least one of them, although it may not be absolutely necessary to get past Russia.

Russia squeezed into the quarter-finals via a last-minute French goal that deprived the Greeks of the point that would have seen them finish above Russia, who they had played out a 2-2 draw with in their opening game.

The Russians will take heart from their performance against the French, whom they managed to restrict to only a single goal, but they are aware of the size of the task ahead of them and know their most realistic aim of qualifying for the 2015 Under-17 World Cup is through the playoffs – although that won’t stop them looking to cause an upset against an England side that does have weaknesses they believe they can target.

The match kicks off 2.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 2

France v Italy

Italy managed to sneak out of Group D at the expense of the Netherlands but their performance against England, and in particular their inability to retain the ball under pressure, doesn’t bode well for their contest against a much-fancied French side. After a comprehensive 5-0 win over Scotland, France made harder work than they might have of Russia and Greece, managing only a goal in each of those game against stubborn defences, something they are sure to come up against once more when they face the Azurri.

With Group C proving unappealing to broadcasters, the lack of TV coverage means that France have a reputation built out of fear from those who have seen their score-lines but are unaware of the context in which they happened. As the 7-0 defeat England suffered against the Netherlands in the Algarve tournament proves – given those nations’ differing performances at the Championships – results on their own mean nothing in youth football, where the accepted norms of senior football do not apply.

The Italy game should be a favourable match-up for them as they are likely to control possession and it should give them a good chance to show their offensive capabilities to a wider audience, while also acting as the first televised chance to get a look at the likes of Ikone, Boutobba, Cognat and Georgen playing finals football.

Four points was enough to get the Italians out of Group D and they will rely heavily upon the quality in midfield of Manuel Locatelli, who has stood out as he is one of the few midfielders who is able to progress them up the pitch without frequently giving the ball away. Likewise the highly-touted Andres Llamas has shown a lot of quality both on the ball and in his defensive positioning and, while he hasn’t attracted a lot of attention, he’s been a quiet star of the tournament in what is a rather poor team that has a few excellent individuals. Simone Lo Faso has been positive whenever he’s been on the pitch and they will hope to get more out of their powerful strike force although they are up against a very good French defence and they may struggle to get anything out of the likes of Upamecano and Mouassa, who are yet to concede a goal.

The match kicks off at 5.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 1

This blog post is provided by the excellent Samuel King, who you can follow on Twitter at @KingSRV.

U17 Euros: England 1-0 Republic of Ireland Match Report

England qualified top of Group D after a nervy 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland that saw the losers eliminated from the tournament.

England made four changes from their draw with the Netherlands, with the most significant being in midfield where both Tom Davies and Trent Arnold missed out through injuries so reserve midfielder Daniel Wright was called upon to play alongside Herbie Kane.

England took a while to adapt to the personnel changes with the Irish settling better as the English began shakily and were unable to move the ball smoothly on the rather bobbly Stara Zagora pitch. The first 20 minutes was littered with scrappy play as both sides had planned to pressurise the other in possession and were as successful in their attempts to regain the ball from their opponents, as they were unsuccessful in their efforts to keep it from them.

A number of recurring themes quickly became apparent; the first was the trickery of Marcus Edwards, the one player of substantial quality on show; the second was the constant niggly fouling of Edwards 30 yards or so from goal; and the third was England’s consistent waste of the resulting free-kicks. Edwards, Holland and Kane all missed the target with differing margins of error, from Edwards’ nicely shaped effort, to Kane’s ballooned strike.

Another theme was that the majority of the chances came from sloppy concessions of the ball in defensive positions, so despite the disjointed nature of the game, there were still plenty of openings to create chances, that almost always ended up as nearly chances due to poor touches and misplaced passes.

After the half-hour mark, England finally began to exert some dominance on the game with two clear opportunities in two minutes. First Ndukwu, who was neutralised for much of the half by the determined O’Keeffe, crept in down the left channel of the defence. His cross-shot was deflected out to Ugbo – who was neutralised for much of the first half by the determined Masterson – and his follow-up from 10 yards was also blocked. As the ball was recycled Nathan Holland broke in from the right, running across the edge of the area until he found the space for a left-footed drive that was well saved by Kelleher.

Half-time saw the introduction of Willock for Ndukwu and there was an immediate increase in productivity down the left with two snap-shots fired off in the opening minutes, the first after a typically swift run, the second after neat interplay with Kane and Wright.

Throughout the match, and the growing English discontent with their sub-par performance, there was the fear the Irish had been showing enough threat of their own that a goal wasn’t out of the question. Anthony Scully, a first-half substitute, almost realised that fear just four minutes after the break when his low shot from 20 yards was palmed out by Woolston into the path of Lunney. Oxford had helped delay matters as he’d managed to get a toe to the ball as it came off the keeper and Lunney was unable to beat to rapidly approaching Woolston who saved the shot (and his team) although further assistance was required from Kane to get the ball clear.

From then on the match was hard work as both teams strived without much strategy or quality for a goal. While it might have appeared there was little pattern to the English play, there was a pattern in that their play bore a remarkable resemblance to that of the elite round qualifiers where Dan Wright had played alongside Davies. It’s cruel to pick upon a fourth choice reserve as a weak point, but England must hope that Arnold and Davies are fit for the quarter-finals. Herbie Kane had begun brightly, but as Davies had in the elite round, he soon began to struggle with having to perform the duties of two players.

As the game dragged on the Irish tired and found themselves increasingly pushed back by England who illuminated the game in the 71st minute through the one real piece of quality from the game’s star performer. Marcus Edwards had done just about everything but score, something he rectified when he picked up the ball, spun 270 degrees away from his markers onto his weaker right foot, which he used to scythe the ball into the top corner, over and around the dive of Kelleher.

The Irish pressed for an equaliser to no avail and England substitute Stephy Mavididi should have ended the contest in the 83rd minute when he ran through on goal against a stretched Ireland defence, showing the power and pace that make him effective at youth level, before finishing by showing the lack of composure and ability that he will have to greatly improve if he is to be a success at the senior one.

For all the weaknesses evident in their display, England did just about earn the result and have qualified from the tournament’s toughest group in first place, with their two excellent performances in the preceding matches meaning hopes can rightfully be high – should Davies or Arnold be available alongside Kane. Having overcome the initial test of Group D they now have the best quarter final draw versus Russia and realistically the semis should be the least that they achieve.

This blog post was provided by the excellent Samuel King, who you can follow on Twitter @KingSRV.

U17 Euros: Germany 4-0 Czech Republic Match Report

Germany finished the group stages with a perfect record after beating the Czech Republic 4-0, with the losers missing out on progression to the quarter-finals.

After losing to Belgium, the Czechs knew that with the Belgians likely to get a result versus Slovenia, they needed a win to assure qualification and went for an attacking side against the Germans who they presumably hoped would be weakened having already guaranteed their own qualification. The outcome of this was an attractive, open contest where spoiling tactics were abandoned and replaced by an attitude of may-the-best-side-win.

As it quickly proved, it was Germany who enjoyed the open plains afforded to them by the attacking Czechs. They should have been one up after four minutes when Busam’s excellent clipped cross from the right floated perfectly onto the head of centre-back Gokhan Gul – staying up from an earlier corner – but he screwed his header wide from six yards out.

While the Germans had the majority of the early play, the offensive strategy of the Czechs did create openings. After six minutes they had the ball in the net only to be denied by a marginal offside call after Sadilek had been played through and finished from the corner of the six-yard box.

It was Germany who were quickest to take advantage of the space available though; Karakas from deep played a low cross into the area that found its way through to his captain Felix Passlack. Completely unmarked 12 yards out, he gleefully rammed the ball into the top corner.

The Czechs almost helped extend the German lead two minutes later as they gave the ball away on the edge of their penalty area then fouled Ozcan inside the area for the concession of a penalty. However, Czech reserve goalkeeper Trucksa wasn’t as generous as his team-mates and he saved Ozcan’s weak penalty.

The frenetic action continued as the Czechs almost followed this up by equalising minutes later when Michal Sadilek made a smart run into the penalty area, receiving a clever lay-off from 10 yards out, and his snapped effort was reflexively saved by keeper Frommann, who was able to jut a leg out and block the ball.

While the next 15 minutes were interrupted by a spate of injuries, it wasn’t long before the next goal arrived as the Germans began to put together a spell of pressure which they capitalised on when Karakas headed home Kohlert’s inswinging corner.

Although Germany were far more efficient with their chances, opportunities kept coming for the Czechs, and a minute after Germany’s second goal, Sasinka was played in by a long straight ball that caught out both of the German centre-backs. However, he wasted the chance as he blastied over the bar when it was imperative for Czech Republic hopes that he score.

His wastefulness was emphasised as the Germans went into the break 3-0 up when Passlack, played in by Ozcan, rounded the keeper and eventually scored, although he was rather fortunate as delaying his shot he allowed the keeper and defender to get back in position and his weak effort was deflected in off the defender and over the stranded Trucksa.

After one of the Championships’ most enjoyable halves so far, the second was something of a non-event with the Germans happy to control the ball without over-exerting themselves in search of more goals and the Czechs tightening their defensive shape, making sure they weren’t thrashed.

Both sides shared a chance apiece and, in the pattern of the first half, the Germans took theirs, while the Czechs were wasteful. For 10 minutes after the break the Czechs set up with a better defensive shape, looking to press high and retain the ball further up the pitch. Despite signs of German weakness at the back, particularly on the left side of defence – a recurring theme from earlier games – they were able to make their quality tell and they wrapped the win up on the 53rd minute mark when the excellent Mats Kohlert easily beat the Czech left-back and crossed for Gorkem Saglam to comfortably side foot his volley in from six yards out.

Germany displayed an expertise in game management for the remainder, though that flaw on the left of their defence was exposed once more when the Czech Republic’s half-time substitute Breda, who had been bright since coming on, escaped his markers and wriggled into the six-yard box, where he tried to put the ball across for a tap in. His pass was cut out and the follow up header from six yards out was cleared off the line by Busam.

This blog post was provided by Samuel King, who you can follow on Twitter @KingSRV.