England Supporters Club

England U21s cruise to victory over Kazakhstan in Coventry

Posted by Team England at 09:26 on Wednesday 14 October 2015

England Under-21s continued their winning start to the new Euro Qualifying campaign with a 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan in Coventry.

There was no doubting that Gareth Southgate’s side were deserved winners, but as the head coach had warned in the build-up, England had to show patience in their search for a breakthrough.

That eventually arrived in the second half when Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored his first goal for the U21s, Nathan Redmond grabbed a well-taken second, following a super assist from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, and Chuba Akpom completed the scoring with a debut goal in stoppage time.

England had made a feverish start to the game though, getting in and among their guests from the first whistle as they looked for an early breakthrough to try and prevent Kazakhstan from becoming too regimented.

And it took a fine block from skipper Rafkat Aslan to prevent Loftus-Cheek from slotting home the opener after good work from Redmond after five minutes.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek says he’s already looking forward to next month’s games with England Under-21s, after helping his side to victory over Kazakhstan. The Chelsea midfielder opened the scoring in Coventry with his first U21s goal and was named man-of-the-match, as Nathan Redmond and Chuba Akpom added to the tally to complete a 3-0 scoreline.

And Loftus-Cheek felt it was a just reward for the Three Lions, who had to show their patience in breaking down a Kazakhstan side who often numbered eight men in defence.

"I’m really happy, the team were great tonight both going forward and in defence and even though we didn’t have much defending to do, when we had to, we did it," said the 19-year-old.



"It was really pleasing tonight, we saw a lot of good football.

"We had to be patient and, through all of the first half, the goal didn’t come so we said at half time, keep playing and don’t force anything, don’t become too aggressive to score or get too impatient.

"So we were patient and a goal came, which then led to two other goals."

Loftus-Cheek had already been close to scoring in a first half which was dominated by England in terms of chances and possession, without finding anything to show for it.

He could even have had a second, but his late shot cannoned off the underside of the bar to safety, with many inside the ground convinced the ball had crossed the line.

And having been part of the squad growing together so far, Loftus-Cheek believes the group of players are becoming closer and better with every minute spent on the pitch, whether that’s in training or matches.

"We’ve had to get to know each other and we have done really well, because we all like each other and it’s been really good," he revealed.

"That shows in the team and how we’ve got better with each game, so we’re already looking forward to the next matches."

The U21s are in action against next month, when they face a Euro Qualifying double against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday 12 November and then Switzerland at Brighton’s Amex Stadium on Monday 16 November.

Tickets for the game in Brighton are on sale now. Click here for full details.