Arsenal’s youngsters were pivotal in England’s 1-0 win in their opening game of the u17 European Championship on Thursday.

England’s u17s are one of 16 teams involved in the 2023 u17 European Championship in Hungary this summer, beginning with a group stage against Croatia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Only two teams advance from each group, and the group winners face the runners-up from another group, so every point counts. England kicked off their campaign against Croatia on Thursday.

Arsenal sent two of their academy players to link up with the England squad this month, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, and both were in the starting lineup against Croatia.

Within just eight minutes, Nwaneri had already made an impact, scoring a first-time volley from close range to give England a 1-0 lead.

Later in the half, Lewis-Skelly held off pressure from two markers before spinning away into the box and being brought down by a third man for a penalty.

Unfortunately, England teammate Michael Heinz Golding saw his penalty saved, and the scores remained at 1-0.

Lewis-Skelly then had one of the best chances of the remainder of the match, jinking past a couple of Croatian defenders again before firing a shot into the goalkeeper’s gloves.

But a single goal was enough to secure the win in the end, with Nwaneri playing 61 minutes and Lewis-Skelly completing the full 90.

The highlights of the game can be found on the UEFA website, and a full-match replay is available via the BBC.

Switzerland also won their opening game of the group against the Netherlands, so the two teams sit three points clear of their pursuers as it stands.

England face the Netherlands next on Sunday, 21st May at 19:00 BST, before a potential group decider against Switzerland on Wednesday, 24th May at 14:00 BST.

The games are available on UEFA.tv or the BBC, with all of England’s games covered live.