England Under 21 2017
**
In a remarkable display of football prowess, England, under the guidance of manager Thomas Tuchel, secured a commanding 5-0 victory over Serbia in Belgrade. This win marked their fifth consecutive triumph in the World Cup qualifying campaign, maintaining their 100% record. The victory also equaled England’s longest run of clean sheets in such matches, a record previously set between October 1988 and October 1989 under Sir Bobby Robson.
Meanwhile, Senegal continued their impressive form in the African section of the World Cup qualifiers. The team, featuring Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye, staged a thrilling comeback to defeat DR Congo 3-2. Despite going 2-0 down with goals from Cedric Bakambu and Youane Wissa, Senegal fought back. Pape Gueye reduced the deficit before Nicolas Jackson, on loan from Chelsea to Bayern Munich, equalized, setting the stage for a dramatic victory.
DSports commented on Ndiaye’s performance: “Striking and creative, he showed off his technique and audacity. He put on a real performance in Pape Gueye’s goal. Even though he raised his game a little more in the second half, his return to the starting XI was not really convincing.”
In contrast, the Republic of Ireland faced a challenging night in Yerevan, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Armenia. This loss dealt a significant blow to their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 2002. Eduard Spertsyan opened the scoring for Armenia with a penalty in first-half stoppage time, and Grant-Leon Ranos doubled the lead shortly after the break. Although Evan Ferguson managed a consolation goal for Ireland, it was not enough to change the outcome.
The Irish Times rated Jake O’Brien, who played as the right-sided central defender, with a score of 3, stating he was “caught badly in behind for the home side’s second goal.” RTE, however, offered a slightly higher rating of 5/10, acknowledging his “night to forget.”
England’s and Senegal’s victories highlight their strong positions in their respective qualifying groups, while Ireland will need to regroup and strategize for future matches to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
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