Lee Carsley vows England U21 won’t ditch their attacking approach after losing to Ukraine… and insists shock defeat may be a crucial lesson for the European champions
- England lost 3-2 to Ukraine in the qualifiers for the European Under-21 Championship on Monday evening
- Noni Madueke and Charlie Cresswell scored after England went down 2-0
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins!’
Lee Carsley insisted that England Under-21s must continue to progress despite that style contributing to a shock qualifying defeat last night.
Charlie Cresswell’s 89th-minute header looked to have secured a point for the European champions against Ukraine, but Illia Kvasnytsia struck five minutes later as Carsley’s side looked for a winner.
The 3-2 defeat is the first defeat for England at this level in twelve years and leaves Ukraine three points ahead of the leaders of Group F.
Lee Carsley stressed that England Under-21s must remain committed to their attacking style
The European champions faced a 95th winner on Monday evening, losing to Ukraine
“I was happy with the performance, but not the result,” Carsley said.
‘The style should reflect what we are trying to do. Unfortunately, this will give you a counterattack. I wish we tried for a third.
‘This could be a very good lesson for us to help the group. We talked about how to respond when you have setbacks.’
Noni Madueke scored the first for England after defensive blunders gave Ukraine a two-goal lead, the second when goalkeeper James Trafford misjudged a free-kick.
Carsley added: “We dominated. They had four shots and scored three. They’re not great goals to concede. They can all be stopped.”