England’s U19s produced an energetic performance to seal a narrow win over France and reach the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championships. Poppy Pritchard’s second half goal sent England to the top of the group to set up a meeting with Spain on Wednesday afternoon.
The Action
England dominated from the first whistle to the last as they saw off France in their final U19 Euro Group match.
The Young Lionesses’ started brightly as Ria Bose, Lexi Potter and Katy Watson linked up intuitively down the right side. This was where the best of England’s play came from, with the switch over to Freya Godfrey on the left providing another strong option in attack.
Michelle Agyemang came close early on when she headed narrowly over before she just failed to reach a weighted through ball from Maddy Earl. Watson then set up Potter but she dragged her effort wide and Godfrey stung the gloves of Alyssa Fernandes in the French goal.
France had struggled to get a foothold in proceedings but fashioned a good opportunity just before the break. Winning a corner, Landryna Lushimba Bilombi rose above the English defenders in the box but directed her header the wrong side of the post.
John Griffiths changed things up at the break replacing Agyemang with Poppy Pritchard. The Manchester City forward made an immediate impact, providing England with a different kind of outlet up front. Breaking through the defence, she fired narrowly over before forcing Fernandes into a superb stop from an angle.
It was perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that she was the one to find the breakthrough. Mia Enderby picked out her run with a terrific through ball and Pritchard bore down on goal, shifted the ball into space before firing clinically home. A knee slide celebration followed as England knew they were almost there.
France went up a level in the closing stages as they looked for an equaliser but the Young Lionesses defended well to hold onto top position in Group A.
Photo credit: Tyler Miller | Sportsfile
Stand Out Moment
Poppy Pritchard changed the game for England when she came on at half-time, stretching the line with her direct running and forcing Alyssa Fernandes into several good saves. Her goal in the 78th minute was brilliantly taken after an incisive through ball from Mia Enderby.
O City fez uma excelente contratação tirando a Poppy Pritchard do Durham, essa garota tem boa relação com a bola, mas principalmente com a rede, uma meia diferente que vai aprender muito com a Miedema em como chegar melhor na área. Talento.
pic.twitter.com/Ob09Cm06Uz— Lucas Martins (@lucasdmartinss) July 20, 2024
England’s Stand Out Performer
Chelsea’s Lexi Potter produced a dominant performance in the midfield area that proved integral to not only the Young Lionesses’ win but also set the tone for their performance overall. Strong and decisive in the challenge, she broke up France’s momentum on multiple occasions. Her accuracy on the ball was equally eye-catching as she helped transition England from defence to attack.
Quote of the Day
“We’re never too high or too low. Even after the last game [against Serbia], we don’t go too low. It’s about making sure we focus. We had a plan for the tournament and that is working ok at the moment. We just need to keep focused on that and what we do next – how we recover now. It was a really strong performance from the group today.
John Griffiths, England U19s’ Manager
Teams
ENGLAND
Katie Cox; Ria Bose, Brooke Aspin, Lucy Newell, Cerys Brown; Lexi Potter, Madison Earl, Ashanti Akpan; Katy Watson, Michelle Agyemang, Freya Godfey (c)
Subs: Hannah Poutler; Mia Enderby; Louanne Worsey; Poppy Pritchard; Vivienne Lia; Katie Reid; Araya Dennis
Manager: John Griffiths
ENGLAND
Alyssa Fernandes; Celeste Delcroix, Célia Delaby, Landryna Lushimba Bilombi, Taeryne Job; Charline Coutel, Julie Swierot, Lucie Calba (c); Elisa Rambaud; Camile Robillard; Fanny Rossi
Subs: Féérine Belhadj; Wassa Sangare; Lou Autin; Clara Bertrand; Nermyne Ben Khaled; Naolia Traore; Kadidia Traore; Almudena Sierra; Lola Gstalter
Manager: Philippe Joly
