England U21s suffer narrow defeat in Euro Finals opener

England’s Euro campaign got off to a stuttering start in Uherske Hradiste as Gareth Southgate’s side narrowly lost by a single goal to Portugal.

In an attractive and open game, with both teams playing positive and imaginative football, the Three Lions had numerous opportunities to score against a side featuring six senior internationals.

Joao Mario's 57th-minute strike may have benefitted from a stroke of fortune but was enough to take the three points.

And a combination of Portugal keeper Jose Sa and a number of narrow misses with the game tightly poised ensured England will now need to pick up results against Sweden and Italy in their remaining group games.

Southgate and his players can certainly take confidence from elements of their performance, but a lively Portuguese attack just proved to have too much on the night.

It was a bright start from both sides, with quick, incisive and positive passes on show in the search of an early goal.

Portugal came closest to drawing first blood in the eighth minute, when Ricardo Esgaio’s cross from the right was diverted off Ivan Cavaleiro’s leg onto Liam Moore from close range.

The Leicester City defender was helpless as the ball bounced off him and towards goal at pace, but Jack Butland produced a fine one-handed save to keep it out.

England's pre-match huddle

Almost immediately, England were back on the attack as James Ward-Prowse flashed a dipping shot just over the bar.

Nathan Redmond then forced a fine save from Jose Sa, after Ward-Prowse and Carl Jenkinson combined to set him up in the box. The Norwich City forward's powerful drive was pounded wide by the Portuguese keeper.

Redmond then set-up Jesse Lingard after drifting inside from the right, with the Manchester United man striking a howitzer just over the bar.

It was then Harry Kane’s turn to force another stunning save from Maritimo keeper Sa, as he collected a pass, turned and fired a powerful shot at goal only for the bearded stopper to turn it around the post.

With half time on the horizon, England came close again when a marauding run forward and clever pass from Nathaniel Chalobah found Lingard on the right and his curling shot at goal whistled narrowly wide.

Jesse Lingard has a pop which goes over the bar

Redmond tested Sa again in the early stages of the second half, teasing the Portugal defence before sliding sideways and hitting a left-footer at goal, which the keeper collected at the second attempt.

At the other end, Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro showed his shooting skill by smashing an angled drive at goal, but again it was off-target.

Moments later, though, Rui Jorge’s side edged ahead when a Cavaleiro’s pass into the box flicked off Luke Garbutt’s heel into the path of Bernardo Silva. His shot bounced back off the post and, via Butland, straight to Joao Mario who smashed home into the empty net.

It was a blow for England and, with the upper hand, Portugal went in search of a second - and they should have had it when Ricardo flicked a free header wide of the post from Mario’s centre.

With Will Hughes, Danny Ings and Alex Pritchard introduced, it was the latter who almost forced an equaliser when his run and cross picked out Kane. But his Spurs team-mate didn’t quite connect with his shot and left Sa with a simple save.

James Ward-Prowse and Portugal skipper Sergio Oliveira

Ings then traded passes with Jenkinson down the right, before his looping effort dropped just wide of the far post with Sa stranded.

England forced plenty of pressure in the dying moments, with Pritchard seeing a low shot diverted behind by the desperate boot of Paulo Oliveira, before Sa saved one of his best for last to spectacularly catch Jenkinson’s header from the resulting corner.

That was the last of the action, but with their next game against Sweden just three days away, there’s a chance for Southgate’s side to put things right.

Click here for full match stats of the game.

England Under-21s (4-3-3): 1 Jack Butland (Stoke City); 2 Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal), 20 Liam Moore (Leicester City), 6 Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), 3 Luke Garbutt (Everton); 8 James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), 10 Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur), 14 Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea); 11 Nathan Redmond (Norwich City), 9 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), 16 Jesse Lingard (Manchester United).

Substitutes: 19 Will Hughes (Derby County) for Ward-Prowse 54, 17 Danny Ings (Burnley) for Lingard 74, 7 Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur) for Carroll 79

Subs not used: 4 Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton & Hove Albion), 12 Jonathan Bond (Watford), 13 Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham), 15 Michael Keane (Burnley), 21 Calum Chambers (Arsenal), 22 Matt Targett (Southampton), 23 Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea)

Head coach: Gareth Southgate

Cautions: Ben Gibson 48, Carl Jenkinson 61

Portugal (4-3-1-2): 1 Jose Sa; 2 Ricardo Esgaio, 3 Tiago Ilori, 4 Paulo Oliveira, 5 Raphael Guerreiro; 8 Sergio Oliveira, 6 William Carvalho, 23 Joao Mario; 10 Bernardo Silva; 18 Ivan Cavaleiro, 21 Ricardo

Substitutes: 11 Iuri Medeiros for Cavaleiro 73, 17 Carlos Mane for Ricardo 79, 16 Ruben Neves for Mario 85

Substitutes not used: 22 Bruno Varela, 12 Daniel Fernandes, 7 Rafa Silva, , Goncalo Paciencia, , 13 Joao Cancelo, 14 Tobias Figueiredo, 15 Frederico Venancio, 19 Ricardo Horta, 20 Toze

Head coach: Rui Jorge

Goals: Joao Mario 57

Referee: Danny Makkelie

Assistant referee: Mario Diks & Hessel Steegstra

Fourth official: Ondrej Pelikan

Attendance: 7,167