Emile Smith Rowe and Ethan Nwaneri added goals to their England youth tallies on Saturday, as we hit the midway point of the break.

Ethan Nwaneri plays for Arsenal in their friendly against Watford (Photo via Arsenal.com)
Ethan Nwaneri plays for Arsenal in their friendly against Watford (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Four of England’s five youth sides from the u17s to the u21s were in action on Saturday, with an Arsenal player or two featuring in each of the four matches.

The results were largely positive, with the exception of the England u19s’ 1-0 defeat to Iceland, despite Reuell Walters and Amario Cozier-Duberry featuring.

That result is damaging to England’s u19 European Championship qualification hopes, taking things out of their hands ahead of the final group game.

If Iceland win against Hungary, Iceland will qualify ahead of England. However, if Iceland fail to win, then an England win over Turkey would be enough to qualify.

Elsewhere, Brooke Norton-Cuffy made a cameo in an u20 friendly win over the USA, but it was the u17s and the u21s where the Arsenal participants shone.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND: Emile Smith Rowe of England U21 is tackled by Mohamed Simakan of France U21 during the International Friendly match between England U21 and France U21 at The King Power Stadium on March 25, 2023. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND: Emile Smith Rowe of England U21 is tackled by Mohamed Simakan of France U21 during the International Friendly match between England U21 and France U21 at The King Power Stadium on March 25, 2023. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Starting with the u17s, Ethan Nwaneri scored a brace in their qualifying win over Northern Ireland, with Myles Lewis-Skelly also featuring as a substitute.

Nwaneri now has four goals in two games over the break, and England are in a great position to qualify for the u17 European Championships.

They only need a draw against the Netherlands to make the final tournament, and even defeat may be enough depending on other results.

Finally, Emile Smith Rowe played in a friendly for the u21s against France, and he scored the opening goal for England in an eventual 4-0 win.

Though the Arsenal man still didn’t seem to be quite firing on all cylinders, he put in a very solid display and took his goal expertly.

https://twitter.com/England/status/1639697819161296898

Results so far

Myles Lewis-Skelly playing for England (Photo via EnglandFootball.com)
Myles Lewis-Skelly playing for England (Photo via EnglandFootball.com)
  • England u18s 2-1 Croatia – Sousa featured as a substitute for 29 minutes. Report
  • Denmark 1-3 England u17s – Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly played 61 minutes, with Nwaneri scoring two of the goals and assisting the other. Report
  • England u20s 2-0 Germany – Norton-Cuffy played 88 minutes, provided an assist, and helped England to keep a clean sheet. Report
  • England u19s 1-0 Hungary – Walters played 90 minutes and helped England to keep a clean sheet, with Cozier-Duberry coming on as a substitute for 13 minutes. Report
  • England u18s 0-3 Belgium – Sousa played 60 minutes. Report
  • N. Ireland 0-2 England u17s – Nwaneri played 89 minutes and scored two goals, with Lewis-Skelly coming on for 26 minutes as a substitute. Report
  • England u19s 0-1 Iceland – Cozier-Duberry played 78 minutes as a starter, and Walters played 57 minutes as a substitute. Report
  • USA 2-4 England u20s – Norton-Cuffy came on for 18 minutes as a substitute. Report
  • England u21s 4-0 France – Smith Rowe played 65 minutes and scored. Report

Remaining fixtures (times in BST)

SERRAVALLE, SAN MARINO: Emile Smith Rowe of England celebrates after scoring their team's seventh goal during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between San Marino and England at San Marino Stadium on November 15, 2021. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images)
SERRAVALLE, SAN MARINO: Emile Smith Rowe of England celebrates after scoring their team’s seventh goal during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between San Marino and England at San Marino Stadium on November 15, 2021. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images)
  • Monday, 27th March, 12:00 – Switzerland vs England u18s
  • Tuesday, 28th March, 15:00 – France vs England u20s
  • Tuesday, 28th March, 19:30 – Turkey vs England u19s
  • Tuesday, 28th March, 19:45 – England u21s vs Croatia
  • Tuesday, 28th March, 20:00 – Netherlands vs England u17s