Mason Mount and Ryan Sessegnon helped get the Young Lions up and running at the UEFA U19 European Championship in Georgia.
Goals at the start of either half saw off Bulgaria in this Group B opener on a sweltering evening in Tbilisi.
Chelsea’s Mount got the scoreboard rolling with barely a minute on the clock before Sessegnon deservedly doubled that lead three minutes into the second half.
It was a solid performance in difficult conditions from England against a Bulgaria side who had knocked out reigning champions France en-route to these Finals.
Head coach Keith Downing could not have asked for a better start with his side’s first goal of the tournament coming after just 39 seconds. Dujon Sterling made inroads down the right before cutting a ball back for Mount to calmly dispatch a low drive across Dimitar Sheytanov and into the far corner.
Mount is known for his attacking prowess but attracted plaudits for his defensive duties just five minutes later. From a right-side corner, Petko Hristov’s bullet header looked to have Aaron Ramsdale beaten but Mount was in the right place on the line to clear the effort to safety.
