A first-half goal from Chelsea’s Dujon Sterling put Steve Cooper’s side ahead shortly after the half-hour mark but the African side hit back to equalise after the break.
England U16s 1-1 Ivory Coast U16s
The Montaigu Tournament
Group B
Saturday 4 April 2015
Montaigu, France
The result means that the Young Lions have topped the group B table on goal difference and will now take on France in the final on Monday afternoon, after the hosts finished first in group A, which also consisted of Brazil, Belgium and Morocco.
England started the game brightly and Martell Taylor-Crossdale went close with a curling shot just wide of the post.
The Chelsea forward then embarked on a powerful run down the right before picking out sub Niall Ennis. The Wolves man rounded the ‘keeper but saw his angled shot roll across the goal and wide of the far post in the 33rd minute.
But the breakthrough came just a minute before the break when Sterling beat his man down the right before turning another defender onto his left foot and striking home into the bottom corner.
England could have doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time when Crossdale-Taylor’s cross picked out Reiss Nelson, but the Arsenal striker couldn’t quite guide his header on target.
The Ivorians were then reduced to ten men five minutes into the second half, but that didn’t stop their pressure on the England goal as they searched for a leveller.
And they found an equaliser with just two minutes remaining when a free-kick was floated into the box, which evaded Fulham 'keeper Taye Ashby-Hammond and was turned in by their striker.
England had the composure to manage the game from there though, eventually securing the result to take them through to Monday afternoon’s final.
England U16s (4-3-3): 1 Jared Thompson (Chelsea); 2 Dujon Sterling (Chelsea), 6 Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea), 14 Ed Francis (Manchester City), 3 Jaden Brown (Tottenham Hotspur); 8 Callum Slattery (c) (Southampton), 4 Sadou Diallo (Manchester City), 7 Andre Dozzell (Ipswich Town); 9 Martell Taylor-Croasdale (Chelsea), 10 Mason Mount (Chelsea), 16 Reiss Nelson (Arsenal)
Substitutes: Niall Ennis (Wolverhampton Wanderers) for Diallo 20, Diego Lattie (Manchester City) for Chalobah 41, Charlie Gilmour (Arsenal) for Nelson 55, Taye Ashby-Hammond (Fulham) for Thompson 69, Jonathan Leko (West Bromwich Albion ) for Mount 69
Goals: Dujon Sterling 32
