Arsenal striker Luke Freeman scored the only goal of the game as England u-17s edged past Portugal in Hungary this morning.
Following a closely-contested first-half, Freeman met John Bostock’s cross and finished from a tight angle to claim three points for the Three Lions.
Coach John Peacock was full of praise for Freeman, who was a late call-up to the squad after Jack Wilshere picked up an ankle problem, saying ”It was a great finish by Luke Freeman, who I thought received the ball well throughout the whole game.”
Benik Afobe was named as a substitute and could come into contention for a starting role against Serbia on Friday.
Elsewhere, midfielder Oguzhan Özyakup played an integral part in ensuring that his Holland side qualified for the finals.
He played the full 90 minutes of the 1-0 victory over Azerbaijan as a Nygel Velder strike gave the Dutch victory. He also featured in the 4-0 demolition of Luxembourg, with a Luc Castaignos brace adding to goals from Shabir Isoufi and sub Rangelo Janga.
And last night, ‘Ozzie’ got on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win over Croatia, scoring the second goal from the penalty spot after being brought down by Šime Vrsaljko.
Earlier, Isoufi had given the Dutch the lead with Castaignos adding gloss to the scoreline with a fine finish late on.
Holland are the first team to qualify for the 2009 UEFA u-17 European Championship finals which will be held in Berlin this summer.
Seems like Frreman is starting to finally settle in and show what he can do. Shows you should never write off young players
Ozyacup seems to be a very good player
All you retards that slagged of Freeman hope your getting a very large plate for your humble pie. Hes scored 2 goals in 2 Euro qualifiers – mugs the lot of yous. He will be a top Prem player in 2 years. MUGS THE LOT OF YOU