Young Lions held by Dutch
Saturday, 04 February, 2012
Ten man England draw 2-2 in Algarve Tournament.
England U17s and their Dutch counterparts shared a thrilling draw in the Algarve Tournament on Saturday afternoon, which could so easily have been a deserved victory if it wasn't for Holland goalkeeper Nick Olu saving a last minute penalty.
After winning their opener against hosts Portugal on Thursday, Head Coach John Peacock had asked for a better performance from his players and that's exactly what he got, even with his side having to play for the majority of the game with ten men after Jordan Houghton's first-half red card.
Most of the action took place in a compelling first-half though, with England taking a 13th minute lead through Derby County's Will Hughes following good work from Devante Cole and Calum Chambers in the build-up.
Holland hit straight back though with Rai Vloet levelling things up from the penalty spot. If conceding the goal was a blow to England, it was made even worse as Houghton was shown a red card for his part in giving the penalty.
Peacock's side continued to play well though, and they restored their lead after 24 minutes when Jordan Graham played in Kieran Wallace, whose deep cross was expertly converted by Southampton's Chambers.
It looked as though the Young Lions had done enough to take their lead into the second half, but Dutch striker Sheraldo Becker had other ideas and got another equaliser in the last minute of the first half.
Both teams made changes after the break and the game remained a close affair, but England had a great chance to win the match at the death when a penalty was awarded in the 79th minute. Substitute Callum Robinson stepped up, but Olu guessed right and made a good save.
England's final game in the Algarve Tournament against France takes place on Monday morning.