European under-19s championship: England 2 Croatia 1as Aidy Bothroyd’s side make it three wins from three in group stages

ENGLAND wrapped up an impressive group stage at the European under-19 Championship as they sealed a 2-1 victory over Croatia.

Aidy Bothroyd’s side were already assured of a place in the semi-finals on Thursday after beating Holland and France in their opening two matches.

But any thoughts of taking things easy in a dead rubber were banished as they hit an early double to secure three wins out of three in Germany so far.

The Young Lions needed just four minutes to open the scoring as Bothroyd’s side set about imposing themselves on the Croatians.

Some good approach play saw Isaiah Brown gain possession on the left edge of the area, and the Chelsea player cut inside before driving a low shot in at the near post.

Six minutes later Brown turned provider, again getting in on the left to fire a low cross in where Silvio Anocic turned into his own goal under pressure from Tottenham’s Kyle Walker-Peters.

Bothroyd was able to make changes to his side with Thursday’s semi-final in mind, and that allowed Croatia to gain a foothold in the game in the second half.

And though Croatian captain Nikola Moro drove a fierce shot into the top corner to halve the lead, England were able to see out time and secure the win.

They now face Italy in the last four, and have already booked their slot in the world under-20 championship next year as a result of their displays.