Curtis Jones enjoyed a fine cameo at the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening as his goal and assist helped England U21s record a remarkable 4-0 victory over France.
Lee Carsley's side inflicted a first defeat on their counterparts in nearly two years as goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Noni Madueke came before Jones' stunning near-post flick. Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey added a fourth goal with just minutes remaining in the Midlands.
The Liverpool midfielder, who has suffered a frustrating season on Merseyside due to a string of ill-timed injuries, was initially named on the bench at the King Power as Anfield team-mate Harvey Elliott was selected alongside captain Morgan Gibbs-White and Smith Rowe behind the attack. But after a closely-contested first hour, the young Lions rang the changes as Jones and Madueke replaced Cameron Archer and Smith Rowe.
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And less than 15 minutes later, Jones had combined nicely with Chelsea's mega-money January signing and former PSV Eindhoven winger Madueke to double England's lead, after Smith Rowe had opened the scoring after 50 minutes.
Just minutes later, the pair would link up again as Jones timed his run across the face of goal to perfection and provided the most absurd of finishes to the forward's low-driven cross.
Next up for Carsley's side is a visit from Croatia on Tuesday evening in what will be their final match before this summer's European Championships.
Oh Andy, Andy
Elsewhere, Andy Robertson provided two trademark assists as he captained Scotland to a 3-0 Euro 2024 qualification victory over Cyprus.
The Liverpool defender, who was leading his side out just days after manager Steve Clarke penned a new contract in the hope of guiding the Tartan Army to back-to-back European Championship campaigns for the first time since 1996, teed up John McGinn to head home from close range after 21 minutes at Hampden Park.
Manchester United's Scott McTominay ensured the points would be staying in Glasgow when he claimed a quickfire brace at the end of the second half, with Robertson plating the midfielder up for his second and Scotland's third of the afternoon.
Gareth Southgate provides Jordan Henderson boost
Off the field, England manager Gareth Southgate provided a timely boost on the fitness of Jordan Henderson - admitting the Liverpool captain is "good to go" ahead of the Three Lions' Wembley showdown with Ukraine on Sunday.
The 32-year-old missed the Reds' round-of-16 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 15, with boss Jurgen Klopp citing illness as the reason Henderson did not travel to the Spanish capital.
The Three Lions' vice-captain also played no role in Thursday's 2-1 victory over Italy in Naples and therefore had been a potential doubt for Liverpool's trip to Manchester City next week.
However, speaking on Saturday, Southgate revealed the Liverpool captain will be available for selection for the Euro 2024 qualification match against Ukraine on Sunday.
"He hadn't trained a lot the previous week, he'd had an illness, which was the reason he missed Liverpool's game the week before, so he was a little bit undercooked for that," said Southgate. "But he's good now. He's good to go."
Young Reds earn Three Lions recognition
Liverpool academy midfielder Dominic Corness made his first start for England's U20s as they defeated the United States on Saturday.
The 19-year-old midfielder, who was named as the Reds' captain for the UEFA Youth League this season after impressing manager Barry Lewtas, started in midfield as Ian Foster's side geared for this summer's World Cup with a resounding 4-2 victory in Marbella.
Corness' Anfield team-mate Jarell Quansah, who is spending the second half of the season on loan at League One outfit Bristol Rovers, also started for the young Lions. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Harvey Davies was an unused substitute.
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