Nathan Redmond enjoyed an early birthday present on Wednesday when he made his return to the England Under-21s side by scoring the winner against Wales and collecting the man-of-the-match award.
The Norwich City ace was a constant menace for Wales down either flank and it was no real surprise when he made the breakthrough in the second half to secure three points for his side.
And the winger, who celebrates his 20th birthday today, admits it should have been a bigger victory for the Three Lions after dominating for large periods of the match in Derby.
Watch highlights of the win over Wales
"We wanted to be a bit more dominating, especially in the attacking half," said Redmond, after the game.
"I think we played too many sideways passes when I thought we could have penetrated a bit more – especially in the first half.
"But we got the win and that’s the most important thing."
Redmond, one of England’s most experienced players having been capped at every level from U16s to Under-21s, was one of the bright sparks in the performance.
He could have scored in the first half and almost set up several team-mates on a number of occasions with his pace and skill on the flank.
Redmond celebrates his winner against Wales
But the former Birmingham City youngster has played enough football at international level to know that you can’t win every game by a big scoreline.
"We’re not always going to win games like a San Marino or a Finland," he added.
"Sometimes, like today, it’s only going to be a 1-0 and we have to be solid, keep the ball and play professionally.
"They had a lot of pace on the counter attack through the wings and up front, so we had to be wary of that.
"We knew that if we stayed solid as a unit and won the ball back when we lost it, we’d have a good chance."
Watch the full interview with Redmond on FATV in the media player above.
