Emile Smith Rowe helped to kick off the England u21s’ European Championship campaign with a win on Thursday, scoring late on against the Czech Republic.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 04: Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on March 04, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on March 04, 2023. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Emile Smith Rowe wasn’t in the starting lineup as the England u21s kicked off their European Championship campaign against the Czech Republic on Thursday, but the Arsenal man ended up having the final say in the contest.

With 11 minutes of normal time remaining and England 1-0 up, Smith Rowe entered the fray as a substitute for Chelsea’s Noni Madueke.

Then, in the fourth minute of injury time, Smith Rowe secured the three points for England by turning home from close range.

Cameron Archer had picked up the ball on the left-hand side, and Smith Rowe made a trademark late run into the box, stealing in behind the defence before applying a simple finish to Archer’s weighted pass.

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You can watch the goal in UEFA’s highlight package here from the 1:35 timestamp.

Marseille's Portuguese defender Nuno Tavares celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille and Toulouse FC at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on December 29, 2022. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Marseille’s Portuguese defender Nuno Tavares celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille and Toulouse FC at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on December 29, 2022. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Smith Rowe isn’t the only Arsenal player to feature at the tournament so far, with Nuno Tavares playing for Portugal.

Tavares was meant to be joined by Fabio Vieira at the tournament, but Vieira had to pull out with an injury.

Unfortunately, Portugal lost their opening game 2-0 to tournament hosts Georgia, with Tavares playing 90 minutes as his side were reduced to 10 men in the second half.

As it stands, Portugal sit rock bottom of Group A, whilst England lead Group C. Two teams qualify from each four-team group.

Portugal now face a tough task to turn things around, starting with their game against the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon. England will look to keep their winning form going against Israel on Sunday.

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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)

Wednesday, June 21st

  • Georgia 2-0 Portugal – Tavares played 90 minutes for Portugal.

Thursday, June 22nd

  • Czech Republic 0-2 England – Smith Rowe played 15 minutes and scored for England.

Saturday, June 24th

  • 17:00 – Portugal vs Netherlands

Sunday, June 25th

  • 17:00 – England vs Israel

Tuesday, June 27th

  • 17:00 – Portugal vs Belgium

Wednesday, June 28th

  • 17:00 – England vs Germany

Times in BST

The quarter-finals are on July 1st and 2nd, and the exact date will depend on whether Portugal and/or England finish 1st or 2nd in their groups, should they progress at all.

The semi-finals are both on July 5th, and the final is on July 8th.

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