So much for taking the easy option. Lee Carsley’s second coming as England’s Under-21 head coach ended in a chastening defeat against a talented France side that could prove to be a major stumbling block to his hopes of retaining the European title.
A hat-trick from the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike and an inspirational performance from Lyon’s Rayan Cherki were too much for an experimental England side that responded with goals from James McAtee, Harvey Elliott and Liam Delap before Elliott wasted a chance to equalise when he blasted his penalty into orbit.
