England’s Futsal U19s enjoyed a double win on their first-ever international trip last weekend.
The Young Lions took on the Netherlands in Zeist as they took their first steps in preparation for the U19s Futsal Euros that will take place in January 2019.
Head coach Pete Vallance oversaw two back-to-back games, against a nation who have an established Futsal programme with over 20 years of playing the game and numerous development teams.
The first game on Saturday started slowly, with both teams having a mix of new players and younger players, and it was goalless at the break.
But it was England who took the second half by storm with goals coming from Ruben Santos and Monty Bouttell before the Dutch pulled one back to make it 2-1.
England dominated the play after that and made it 4-1 through Santos again. A late reply saw Holland make it 4-2 but it wasn’t enough to deny England victory in their first game.
The second match was a cleaner game of Futsal with both teams settling into it easier and quicker.
And England took the lead again through Mikey Bulmer of York City before a free-kick from the hosts pulled it level at half time.
The second half saw a more dominant display from England and a well-worked set piece was finished from close range by Bouttell before Santos squeezed one under the keeper to complete the scoring at 3-1 in favour of the Young Lions.
“This was a proud moment for our England U19s team, securing some positive results against a well-established Futsal nation,” said Vallance, following the trip.
And men’s senior head coach and elite performance manager Michel Skubala added: “It was hard to know what to expect.
“Although we believe we are making good strides at youth level, it was always going to be a little bit of an unknown as it is the very first game for the programme at this age group.”
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