Jesse Lingard breathed life into England’s stuttering European Under-21 Championship campaign with a stunning late winner against Sweden that means Gareth Southgate’s side go into their final group game with their destiny in their own hands. This may have been a staccato performance, one that frustrated far more than it excited, but it means the side have broken a winless streak in these finals that had stretched back to 2009.
More importantly the semi-finals are back on the agenda. With the opening defeat against Portugal, coupled with the losses of Saido Berahino and John Stones to injury, threatening the equilibrium in the squad, much of Southgate’s preparation for this game had involved limiting the damage to the collective psyche. Perhaps this result can turn the tide.
“After the game the other night we had to stop the bleeding a little bit,” said Southgate. “We’d had hammer blows with the two injuries to outstanding players, then the manner of the goal we conceded and the defeat. So we had to do a lot of work making sure all of the noise around us didn’t affect us.
“We’ve made a step in the right direction. It’s in our hands. I think the momentum starts to swing with us a little bit now and that’s very important in football.”
Portugal’s goalless draw with Italy means the situation in Group B is a complex one. England do not need to beat Italy but failure to do so will leave them reliant on the other result.
They will have to improve for that fixture. Tactical tinkering and personnel changes for Sweden had been long-planned and the onus was on Will Hughes and Alex Pritchard, coming into the side in place of James Ward-Prowse and Lingard, to provide the attacking impetus that flickered only sporadically against Portugal. Neither would be on the pitch after an hour, with Danny Ings introduced for Hughes at half-time and Pritchard hobbling off to be replaced by the eventual goalscorer.
Perhaps more than anything the absence of Stones, who had been earmarked as the defensive launchpad for England’s passing game, has been felt most keenly in the two games to date. Concussion protocols allow him to return for the final game – a rather less understandable protocol, this time from Uefa, meant the squad had to travel the 100 yards or so from hotel to Andruv Stadium on the team coach.
The Everton defender’s likely return against the Italians should add some much-needed drive. But the stodgy performance was not all England’s making – Sweden’s win over Italy in their opening game afforded Hakan Ericson’s side the luxury of conservatism. There was a very different shape to this game from that in the Portugal tie, with England dominating the ball – they enjoyed 62% of possession – and trying to conjure space between their opponents’ two banks of four.
It was a struggle. Almost half an hour had passed before England truly threatened the Sweden goal. Nathan Redmond fed Carl Jenkinson on the right and his low cross was nodded just wide by a diving Harry Kane. That chance began England’s best period of the first 45 minutes, with Hughes denied brilliantly by Filip Helander’s goal-saving tackle after Pritchard’s clever delayed pull-back and Pritchard himself denied by sheer weight of numbers after a ferreting run into the box.
Those chances, though, were islands of excitement in an ocean of frustration. Before half-time Jack Butland was only twice called into action, first to gather John Guidetti’s low shot, then to claim Isaac Kiese Thelin’s header, and neither save was taxing.
Nor was Butland unduly taxed in the second half and, for far longer than would have been comfortable for Southgate, neither was Patrik Carlgren in the Sweden goal. A clear pattern was set – England dominated the ball but again struggled to make the best use of it. It was by no means abject but nor was there much food for thought for the watching Roy Hodgson as he ponders plans for the remainder of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. With five minutes go there was that creeping familiar sense that England and tournaments simply do not mix.
Then Lingard, introduced early in the second half for the injured Pritchard – “It didn’t look very good,” was Southgate’s immediate prognosis and the midfielder left the stadium on crutches – produced a moment of brilliance. Carlgren flapped a Luke Garbutt corner to the edge of the box and the Manchester United midfielder chested it down before sending a fizzing volley back past the Sweden goalkeeper.
“We had to show a lot of character and resilience because we knew how difficult it would be to break Sweden down,” said Southgate. “We felt we could wear them down the longer the game went on. We had to remain positive right to the end. We dominated possession.
“I think our tempo at times could have been a bit quicker but maybe that was the burden of young players feeling the need to win the game.”
That burden will still be there when the side face Italy in the same stadium on Wednesday but at least the dam has been broken.
