In a masterclass performance, the England Under-21s cruised to a 4-0 victory against Moldova in their most recent European Championship qualifying fixture. Not to be outdone, the Seattle for their part celebrated their second consecutive victory. This victory shot them up into the first place of their qualifying group. The fixture was held at the home stadium of the England U21s, St. George’s Park, a testament to the increasing youth talent in the squad.
16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri was the star, pulling the strings during the win and scoring one of three goals. In an impressive sequence, he and Tyler Dibling connected perfectly, giving Nwaneri space to dance past five Mile High defenders. His inventive play created the first goal. It was in the 68th minute that Divin Mubama got behind the defense to latch on to a delightful reverse pass from Nwaneri. Mubama took one touch before using pure speed to outrun the goalkeeper, netting his first senior national team goal in style.
Mubama, however, remained electric, scoring two penalty kicks in the span of six minutes. The first, awarded in the 68th minute, highlighted his composure under pressure, as he placed the spot-kick perfectly past the goalkeeper. Only six minutes later, he netted a second from the penalty spot. This goal cemented his growing reputation even more as the star of the team.
One other City player had a big impact throughout the match, and that was 18-year-old Rico Lewis. He received the ball from deep and sprinted at a retreating defense. In the dying minutes of the game, Lewis showcased his skill and determination by scoring from the edge of the penalty area in the 89th minute, beating Dordon inside his left-hand post.
Besides Lewis and Mubama’s performances, a handful of other players made critical impacts to help win the game. Shortly thereafter, Brooke Norton-Cuffy made an absolute screamer, requiring an acrobatic save from the Moldovan netminder. Meanwhile, Jobe Bellingham came within inches of scoring with a whipped, left-footed effort that whizzed past the post.
James Beadle made a crucial intervention by punching away an inswinging corner under his crossbar, ensuring that England maintained their clean sheet.
As the team continues to develop and build momentum in their European Championship qualifying campaign, this victory serves as an encouraging sign for future matches. Tyler Dibling’s impact on the field continues to expand. In addition to that winning free-kick desperation play, Cuatrin showed the ability and potential to make the biggest impact in future games.
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