England’s U19s faced a tough battle in the Lithuanian heat to earn a vital point against Serbia. The Young Lionesses displayed their resilience and they came from behind with a 90th minute leveller from Mia Enderby.
The Action
The Young Lionesses had to battle the conditions, a major early injury and a transitional opposition in a real test of their character in the second game of these European Championships.
Both teams had to find a performance in the lunchtime heat and on a pitch that was so dry it cut up every time there was so much as a challenge for the ball. Nevertheless, it was a fairly even encounter in the first half with chances at both ends.
Vivienne Lia tested Ema Aleksić early on before Brooke Aspin saw a header brilliantly cleared off the line. Serbia’s counter-attack equally stretched England’s back-line to the max with Nina Matejić forcing Katie Cox into a series of good saves. The Young Lionesses suffered an early blow when Evie Rabjohn went down with a knee injury. The sight of her being stretched off the pitch will have caused much consternation and they struggled to regain their rhythm ahead of the break.
The match carried on in much the same vein early in the second half. Serbia were doing well to minimise the space in central areas, cutting off England’s midfield from their attacking line. They made the Young Lionesses pay in the 68th minute, a turnover seeing Matejić through to finish.
Griffiths brought on some much needed fresh legs that turned the momentum back in England’s favour. Ria Bose, Poppy Pritchard and Mia Enderby all add energy to the side as they tried to find a way back into the game. The chance finally came when Mina Matijević was adjudged – somewhat harshly – to have handled the ball in the box. Enderby stepped up to dispatch the penalty with aplomb, ensuring progression to the semi-finals remained very much in the Young Lionesses’ control.
Photo credit: Tyler Miller | Sportsfile
Stand Out Moment
Nina Matejić was at the heart of everything good Serbia produced. The captain and centre forward led the line energetically and could have arguably had a hat-trick. She gave her side the lead in style, breaking past an unfortunate Katie Reid before producing a perhaps unnecessary spin and dispatching it past Katie Cox in the England goal.
Nina Matejić fudbalerka Srbije, u akciji protiv Engleske. (1-1) pic.twitter.com/AoJ34lRoTy
— Mitar D. (@mitard1995) July 19, 2024
England’s Stand Out Performer
Freya Godfrey, named captain for this afternoon, was England’s brightest player until her substitution in the 56th minute. She made several cutting runs to open up the Serbia defence but the Lionesses were unable to find a finish.
Quote of the Day
“In all honesty, 1-1 was probably a fair result. We had a lot of territory and possession at times but on the break, we knew that Serbia would be a fast transition team. They have some very talented forwards… Overall, I’m pleased with the resilience they showed and they’ve given themselves an opportunity going into the last game.”
John Griffiths, England U19s’ Manager
Teams
LITHUANIA
Ema Aleksić; Milica Gaković, Milica Stojić, Mina Matijević, Milica Šarić; Aleksandra Gajić, Aleksandra Ilić, Mina Čingelić; Nadja Uvalin, Nina Matejić (c), Sara Stokić
Subs: Jovana Dukić; Anja Medić; Sinanovic; Lelja Maljković; Sara Trbulin; Monja Jošić; Irena Majstorović; Milica Babić; Andela Milovanović
Manager: Lidija Stojkanović
ENGLAND
Katie Cox; Araya Dennis, Lucy Newell, Brooke Aspin, Evie Rabjohn; Lexi Potter, Ashanti Akpan; Louanne Worsey; Freya Godfrey (c), Michelle Agyemang, Vivienne Lia
Subs: Hannah Poulter; Cerys Brown; Mia Enderby; Maddy Earl; Poppy Pritchard; Katy Watson; Ria Bose; Katie Reid
Manager: John Griffiths
