Arsenal youngster Max Dowman scored an excellent goal and Jack Porter kept a clean sheet as the England u17s kicked off their qualification campaign with a win over Malta.
Arsenal teenagers Max Dowman and Jack Porter are away with the England u17s this month for a triple header of u17 Euro qualifiers, facing Malta, Latvia, and Sweden in a quickfire group stage.
Fellow Gunner Theo Julienne was also set to be involved with the team, but he pulled out after his call-up with an apparent injury.
Porter was straight into the action in the opening game against Malta, starting in goal for England. After his surprise first-team debut for Arsenal recently, a first competitive appearance for the England u17s must seem relatively tame by comparison.
Dowman began the game on the bench, but he was introduced as a substitute in the 56th minute, with Arsenal 2-0 up.
The young midfielder made the most of that appearance, turning onto his left foot outside the box before passing a finish into the far bottom corner for 3-0.
Max Dowman puts 🏴U17 3-0 up vs 🇲🇹 ~ this kid is special, very very special https://t.co/ZLTbtOWZqr pic.twitter.com/6HQbfglJ9O
— The Next Wave (@_TheNextWave_) October 24, 2024
England added a fourth in the 94th minute, and Porter secured a clean sheet in their eventual 4-0 victory.
It was a strong start for both young Gunners with their country, and Dowman will hope to have made his case for a start against Latvia on Sunday, October 27th at 10:00 BST. England then face Sweden on October 30th at 13:30.
This is the first round of qualifers for next summer’s u17 Euros, with England playing one game against each of the three teams in their group. The top-two teams will then progress to the next stage of qualification.