Five star England Under-21s end Euro qualifying in style

England Under-21s brought their Euro qualifying campaign to a stylish end with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina in Walsall.

First-half goals from John Swift and Tammy Abraham, on his full debut for the U21s, set the Young Lions on their way. 

Strikes after the break from another debutant in Josh Onomah, Duncan Watmore and a second for Abraham ensured Aidy Boothroyd’s side could start their preparations for next summer’s Euro Finals in Poland with confidence.

Having made nine changes to the team which secured qualification in Kazakhstan last week, Boothroyd had challenged his players to stake an early claim for their spot in any potential squad.

And they gave the interim boss a perfect response, with an impressive display from start to finish.

England took the lead within 15 minutes, when the Bosnians left Swift with a clear sight of goal just outside the box. The Reading man took aim and smashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner to register his first goal for the U21s.

Less than five minutes later and England had doubled their advantage through Abraham, whose fine goalscoring form in the Championship with Bristol City continued on the international scene. 

John Swift strikes home the first goal for England U21s against Bosnia & Herzegovina

The Chelsea loanee found the bottom corner from close range, after an Onomah shot had only been parried by keeper Kenan Piric following some fine work down the right from Jack Stephens and Dominic Iorfa.

The Three Lions remained on the front foot, with Watmore firing just over the bar before a jinking run on the left brought him into the box to fashion a shooting chance only to see his effort well blocked.

Goalkeeper Christian Walton, also making his U21s debut, was forced into action at the other end just before the break when he tipped over Armin Cerimagic’s stinging left-footer following a counter attack from the visitors.

But the second half was less than five minutes old when England added their third goal, as Jack Grealish bravely headed a clearance back into the area for Onomah, who drilled a low shot past the helpless Piric.

Watmore’s quest to find a goal continued and he was left frustrated when Piric did well to shepherd him wide of the goal, after the Sunderland man looked to have taken the ball past the Bosnian captain.

He finally got the goal he deserved though, when a swift move upfield saw Abraham nod the ball down to Grealish and his pass forward was perfect for Watmore, who finished well into the bottom corner.

Watmore then turned provider, sending Abraham clear into the box where he clipped a shot over the advancing Piric to net his second of the day and complete the scoring on a memorable day for so many in Boothroyd’s squad.

England Under-21s: 1 Christian Walton (Luton Town, loan from Brighton & Hove Albion); 2 Dominic Iorfa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), 5 Jack Stephens (Southampton), 6 Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea) (c), 3 Brendan Galloway (West Bromwich Albion, loan from Everton); 8 John Swift (Reading), 4 Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United), 7 Josh Onomah (Tottenham Hotspur); 10 Jack Grealish (Aston Villa); 9 Tammy Abraham (Bristol City, loan from Chelsea), 11 Duncan Watmore (Sunderland).

Substitutes: 14 Calum Chambers (Middlesbrough, loan from Arsenal) for Chalobah 46, 16 Demarai Gray (Leicester City) for Abraham 74, 17 Nathan Redmond (Southampton) for Grealish 74

Substitutes not used: 12 James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), 13 Jonathan Mitchell (Derby County), 15 Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem, loan from Chelsea)

Head coach: Aidy Boothroyd

Goals: John Swift 14, Tammy Abraham 18, 68, Josh Onomah 49, Duncan Watmore 62

Cautions: Isaac Hayden 29

Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1 Kenan Piric (c), 3 Eldar Civic, 4 Sinisa Sanicanin, 5 Milos Satara, 7 Kerim Memija, 8 Damir Sadikovic, 10 Armin Cerimagic, 14 Rijad Bajic, 18 Amit Hadziahmetovic, 21 Ajdin Redzic, 23 Marin Popovic.

Substitutes: 15 Amer Gojak for Bajic 46, 11 Deni Milosevic for Redzic 46 

Substitutes not used: 12 Nikola Vasilj, 2 Advan Kadusic, 6 Stjepan Radeljic, 17 Miljan Govedarica, 19 Asim Zec

Head coach: Darko Nestorovic

Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim

Attendance: 5263