Ben Gibson helps England secure Euro send-off victory

With just a week to go before their Euro Championship campaign begins, England Under-21s left it late to secure a 1-0 victory over Belarus in Barnsley.

Late had been the word of the night too, with the kick-off delayed 35 minutes due to the visitors being stuck in motorway traffic on their way to Oakwell.

The game never really sprang into life, and for most of the second half it looked as though Belarus were about to hold on for what would have been a memorable result given the circumstances.

But a close-range strike from defender Ben Gibson with just seven minutes remaining gave Gareth Southgate his 15th victory out of 17 games in charge and plenty to think about as his team prepare to head out to Czech Republic on Sunday.

England started sharply and with intent – Saido Berahino had the ball in the net from close range in the eighth minute, when Luke Garbutt’s centre was struck goalwards by Alex Pritchard. 

A Belarusian defender blocked the Spurs man’s effort, but Berahino was flagged offside just as he poked home and the goal was chalked off.

The West Bromwich Albion striker then brought a save out of keeper Uladzislau Vasiliuchak, driving a low shot at goal after Pritchard had played him through but despite dominating possession and territory, England had failed to really test their guests.

England U21s ahead of kick-off against Belarus

Chelsea youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek was introduced at the break for his U21s debut in place of Will Hughes, as was Calum Chambers, who took the central defensive berth left by John Stones after a first half in which his every touch was applauded by his hometown crowd.

But it was Belarus who came closest in the early stages of the second half, when Aliaksandr Yanchanka flashed a dipping shot just wide of the far post.

The Oakwell crowd were brought back to their feet just short of the hour mark when Southgate introduced both Harry Kane and Danny Ings to the attack in a bid to break the deadlock.

And Ings almost made an instant impact, setting up Garbutt with a neat cut-back from the left only for the Everton defender to see his slide-rule shot tipped wide by Vasiliuchak.

Alex Pritchard is tackled by a Belarus defender

Another four substitutions followed, as Southgate looked to get more minutes for his squad ahead of the Euros but still the wait went on as Belarus resolutely retreated.

As the game went into its final throes, Belarus were reduced to 10 men when defender Mikalai Zolatau received his second booking for crudely tripping Loftus-Cheek on the corner of the area.

And from the resulting free-kick, Garbutt drilled a low shot at goal which was parried by Vasiliuchak as far as Gibson and the Middlesbrough man was well placed to smash home from close range to register his first goal for the U21s.

Nathan Redmond on the ball against Belarus

There were further chances to add gloss to the scoreline too, as Ings saw a well-worked shot tipped over the bar before he flicked a header narrowly over the bar from a right-wing cross.

It was not to be for England, but with another week to work before they face Portugal in Uherske Hradiste, Southgate will take the positives before the serious business really begins.

England (4-3-3): 1 Jack Butland (c) (Stoke City); 2 Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal), 5 John Stones (Everton), 6 Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), 3 Luke Garbutt (Everton); 8 James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), 10 Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur), 19 Will Hughes (Derby County); 11 Nathan Redmond (Norwich City), 18 Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion), 7 Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur)

Substitutes: 21 Calum Chambers (Arsenal) for Stones ht, 23 Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) for Hughes ht, 9 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) for Berahino 59, 17 Danny Ings (Burnley) for Redmond 59, 12 Jonathan Bond (Watford) for Butland 69,  16 Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) for Pritchard, 14 Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea) for Carroll 69, 4 Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Ward-Prowse 69

Substitutes not used: 13 Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham), 15 Michael Keane (Burnley), 20 Liam Moore (Leicester City), 22 Matt Targett (Southampton)

Head coach: Gareth Southgate

Goals: Ben Gibson 83

Cautions: Luke Garbutt 77

Belarus (4-4-2): 1 Uladzislau Vasiliuchak; 16 Siarhei Karpovich 3 Dzmitry Ihnatsenka, 20 Aliaksandr Pazniak, 6 Mikolai Zolatau; 9 Yahuhen Leshka, 5 Yauhen Yablonski (c), 8 Mikita Korzun, 11 Yarasalu Yarotski; 7 Aliaksandr Yanchanka, 10 Yahuhen Lebedzeu.

Substitutes: 17 Mikhail Shybun for Yarotski 64, 21 Yauhen Mileuski for Lebedzeu 65, 15 Uladzislau Klimovich for Yanchanka 76, 19 Dzimitry Baiduk for Shybun 85, 18 Yury Pauliukavets for Korzun 86

Substitutes not used: 12 Anton Chychkan, 14 Aleh Yeudakimau

Cautions: Zolatau 35 and 82

Red cards: Zolatau 82

Head coach: Igor Kovalevich

Referee: Jonathan Lardot

Assistant referees: Laurent Conotte & Frederic Godelaine

Fourth official: Paul Tierney

Attendance: 15207