Having trailed at the break, Sheyi Ojo looked to have earned Neil Dewsnip’s side a draw when he won and then converted a penalty with ten minutes remaining.
But it was not to be as the Young Lions went down 2-1 in Moscow's Khimki Arena - home of Russia giants Dynamo and CSKA.
Russia v England
International U18 Match
4pm, Wednesday 10 June 2015
Arena Khimki, Moscow
Dewsnip made six changes from his line-up two days earlier when his side were 2-0 victors at the same venue. Leicester City’s Elliott Moore made his international debut at centre-half, but it was his forwards who had the first opportunity to make an impact.
Both Adam Armstrong and Karlan Ahearne-Grant had decent openings to fire England into a lead inside three minutes.
The latter’s arrived first, racing on to a Max Lowe pass, before cutting back on his right foot and firing straight at the keeper. Seconds later the skipper’s opportunity came, latching on to Louis Reed’s throughball and surging towards the area, but his strike was into the side-netting.
The Young Lions had started brightly, but with eight minutes on the clock they fell behind.
Tosin Adarabioyo’s loose pass was pounced on by Georgi Melkadze, and the Russian captain rocketed the ball past Freddie Woodman in the England goal.
Melkadze’s joy was to turn to pain shortly afterwards, however, as the dangerman limped off the field to be replaced by Ilzat Akhmetov.
Russia were perhaps edging the possession, but the English defence were containing them well - it was further up the field that the visitors were lacking bite.
Usually so quick and threatening, the Young Lions often found themselves restrained in their own half, sitting deep and struggling to secure possession in the attacking third.
The final ten minutes of the half Dewsnip’s charges began to look a little more threatening, with Armstrong and Ahearne-Grant combining well for the latter to rasp a strike just over from 25 yards, but they went in at the break a goal behind.
Fulham goalkeeper Magnus Norman and Dael Fry entered the fray at the interval, replacing Woodman and Adarabioyo, as the hosts seemed content to sit back and challenge England to break them down.
Ahearne-Grant had the next opportunity when he stung the keeper’s palms from an acute angle and Callum Connolly struck a curling effort just wide of the upright shortly after.
In an effort to find a breakthrough, Patrick Roberts and Tammy Abraham were introduced from the bench to bolster the attack, and the pair combined before Abraham fired a tame effort straight at the goalkeeper. And it looked like time was running out for the visitors.
However, Ojo sprung into life, picking up the ball wide on the left and showing an electric turn of pace to race clear of the full-back and into the box before he was tripped.
The Liverpool forward placed the ball on the spot and confidently, staggering his run, stroked the ball coolly sending the keeper the wrong way to level matters.
But it was not to be for England, as Poluboy Arinov drilled home a loose ball from a corner in additional time to secure his side the victory.
Russia (4-2-3-1): 12 Ilya Sukhoruchenko; 2 Nikolay Mayorskiy, 4 Vitaliy Stezhko, 3 Sergei Evtushenko, 5 Dmitri Skopintsev; 15 Andrei Mironov, 13 Shamsiddin Shanbiev; 16 Sergey Serchenkov, 14 Georgi Melkadze (C), 7 Nikolai Kipiani; 9 Nikolai Obolski
Subs: 11 Ilzat Akhmetov for Melkadze (19), 17 Mutalip Alibekov for Mayorskiy (45), 21 Ruslan Suanov for Obolski (70), 8 Danil Poluboy Arinov for Serchenkov, 6 Daniil Yamschikov 16 Serchenkov (90), 18 Oleg Krasilnichenko for Kipiani (90+1)
Subs not used: 1 Timur Akmurzin, 11 Ilzat Akhmetov
Goals: Melkadze (8), Poluboy Arinov (90+1)
Bookings: Kipiani (68)
Head coach: Sergey Kiryakov
England (4-1-2-1-2): 1 Freddie Woodman (Newcastle United); 2 Callum Connolly (Everton), 5 Tosin Adarabioyo (Manchester City), 6 Elliott Moore (Leicester City), 3 Max Lowe (Derby County); 4 Luke Amos (Tottenham Hotspur); 8 Louis Reed (Sheffield United), 7 Kieran Dowell (Everton); 11 Sheyi Ojo (Liverpool); 9 Adam Armstrong (Newcastle United) (C), 10 Karlan Ahearne-Grant (Charlton Athletic)
Subs: 13 Magnus Norman (Fulham) for Woodman (45), 14 Dael Fry (Middlesbrough) for Adarabioyo (45), 16 Daniel Barlaser (Newcastle United) for Reed (57), 12 Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham Hotspur) for Connolly (64), 17 Patrick Roberts (Fulham) for Armstrong (64), 18 Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) for Dowell (70)
Subs not used: 15 Liam Walsh (Everton)
Goals: Ojo (80)
Head coach: Neil Dewsnip
