Armstrong and Solanke fire England U17s into Euro Finals

England U17s produced a fantastic display to defeat Italy in Zlin and secure their place at this summer's European Championship.

Goals from Adam Armstrong and Dominic Solanke capped a hard-working performance and saw the Young Lions finish their qualifying campaign with a 100 per cent record.

As expected, it was the Italians who came out quickly as they looked to apply pressure early on.

After surviving the initial attack, the Young Lions began to settle and they should have taken the lead on 14 minutes.

Izzy Brown left the full-back in his wake as he raced down the right flank. His cut-back was met by Ryan Ledson, but the Everton midfielder sent his effort over the bar from six yards.

In an almost identical situation moments later, Josh Onomah was on the end of a Brown pull back, but his fierce shot was pushed over by the keeper.

Brown was terrorising the Italy left-hand side as confidence began to grow throughout the England ranks, and they took a deserved lead on the twenty-minute mark.

This time the threat came down the left as Onomah passed to Adam Armstrong. He strode forward into the area before unleashing a thunderous left-foot drive that whizzed across goal and past the keeper into the net.

Following the goal there was a lull in play as the Italian team seemed stunned by their setback, but they soon re-grouped and began to fight back as their hopes of qualification drifted away.

They came close to levelling four minutes before the break, but Fred Woodman produced a top-class save from close-range to push Valerio Trani's shot over the crossbar.

Ryan Ledson and his team-mates celebrate Adam Armstrong's opener

The second-half started quieter than the first, although England could have doubled their advantage four minutes in. Armstrong hit a short free-kick to Brown inside the area but the Chelsea forward missed the ball as it travelled to the back post.

Callum Connolly was lurking at the back and he pounced to fire at goal, but the keeper, Alex Meret, got down low to save.

Back came Italy, and Gianfilippo Felicioli fired wide from twenty yards before Woodman received a caution for time-wasting. But less than a minute later he found himself beaten as the scores were levelled.

A cross was hit into the area that the English defence failed to clear - and they stood and watched as the ball fell to Trani to lash it home from eight yards.

Knowing they needed a winner to progress, the Italians pressed further up the park but the English resistance held firm and they composed themselves to take the lead again on 71 minutes.

The livewire Brown proved too hot to handle for the defence once more as he sprinted through the area down the right and pulled the ball back across the goal for Chelsea team-mate Solanke to slide in at the back post and spark wild celebrations.

Peacock's men will find out their opponents in Malta when the UEFA draw is made for the Euros on Wednesday 9 May.

Italy U17 (4-2-3-1): 1 Alex Meret; 15 Mauro Coppolaro, 5 Ivan Francesco De Santis, 6 Fabio Della Giovanna, 3 Federico Dimarco; 7 Gianfilippo Felicioli, 4 Filippo Romagna (C), 8 Rolando Mandragora, 10 Simone Minelli; 11 Antonio Panico Giuseppe, 18 Valerio Trani.

Substitutes: 13 Simone Giuliano for Dimarco 41, 17 Andrea D'Orazio for Della Giovanna 51, 16 Francesco Cassata for Felicioli

Substitutes not used: 12 Andrea Zaccagno, 14 Alberto Picchi.

Goal: Trani (52)
Bookings: Della Giovanna (31), D'Orazio (64), Valerio Trani (80).
Head Coach: Daniele Zoratto.

England U17s (1-4-2-3-1): 1 Fred Woodman (Newcastle United), 3 Callum Connolly (Everton), 5 Joe Gomez (Charlton Athletic), 15 Taylor Moore (RC Lens), 2 Tafari Moore (Arsenal); 4 Ryan Ledson (C) (Everton), 14 Lewis Cook (Leeds United); 11 Isaiah Brown (Chelsea), 8 Josh Onomah (Tottenham Hotspur), 10 Dominic Solanke (Chelsea); 9 Adam Armstrong (Newcastle United).

Substitutes: 16 Callum Cooke (Middlesbrough) for Cook 76, 17 Josh Sims (Southampton) for Solanke 78, 7 Demetri Mitchell (Manchester United) for Brown 80.

Substitutes not used: 13 Sam Howes (West Ham United), 6 Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), 12 Mandela Egbo (Crystal Palace), 18 Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)

Goals: Armstrong (20), Solanke (71).
Bookings: Woodman (52), Brown (80).
Head Coach: John Peacock.

Referee: Jose Hernandez Alejandro