Luxembourg Under-21s 0-3 England Under-21s: New Chelsea signing Cole Palmer scores with Liam Delap and Callum Doyle also on target for Lee Carsley’s side in first game since Euros triumph
- Cole Palmer scored as England Under-21s won 3-0 against Luxembourg
- Liam Delap and Callum Doyle were also on target for Lee Carsley’s team
Differdange, a sleepy town right on the French border, felt far removed from the fireworks of the glorious English summer, so the under-21s grabbed a few sparklers to brighten things up.
Coincidentally, these all initially came to light at Manchester City, with the three goalscorers – Liam Delap, Callum Doyle and Cole Palmer – coming through the club’s academy. There can’t be enough examples of one team dominating a match in England in this way.
Six of Lee Carsley’s first line-ups since winning a first European Championship were trained by the Premier League champions.
Two more came off the bench. It was certainly a proud evening for City and an encouraging one for Carsley, whose side eased past Luxembourg with patient build-up and then explosives to kick off Euro 2025 qualifying on a positive note.
England could have led by at least three by the time Delap scored on his debut two minutes before half-time. His deft finish, which saw him get past the onrushing goalkeeper, owed much to Palmer’s clever through ball in a crowded penalty area.
Cole Palmer was among the scorers as England Under-21s won 3-0 against Luxembourg
Liam Delap opened the scoring for England Under-21s in his first appearance at this level
Callum Doyle, another Under-21 debutant, also managed to get on the scoresheet
A goal straight from the City Football Academy pitches and a further sign that Delap is putting a difficult two years behind him after tough loan spells in the Championship.
He is at Hull City this year, already having scored a few league goals. With a shortage of real strikers at this level, Delap has an opportunity to make this spot his own.
Doyle, the highly rated centre-half operating as a left-back, popped up with the second just before the hour mark, threaded through Noni Madueke’s center with venom and curled into the near post.
Palmer, now a £42.5million player at Chelsea, led the match from central midfield. His first goal sounded off the crossbar and in, largely thanks to the direct run of Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. The substitute actually spent two years at City’s academy. Of course he did.
Lee Carsley saw his England side secure victory in their first match since the European Under-21 Championship