England U21 0-1 Switzerland U21: Young Lions lose opening game at Euro U21 finals
England U21 #EnglandU21
Eddie Nketiah (l) has been named as the England Under-21 captain
England Under-21 striker Eddie Nketiah says he is looking forward to the chance to play football again after being named captain for the European Under-21 Championship.
The Young Lions play Switzerland in their opener on Thursday in Slovenia.
England Under-21s’ all-time top goalscorer Nketiah has not played a game for Arsenal since 30 January.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to get a smile and play football again,” he told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.
“I haven’t been playing a lot of football recently, nowhere near as much as I would have liked. It’s been a bit difficult and frustrating for myself.
“I’m grateful to have the opportunity here. It’s a good opportunity to come out here and show what I can do.”
Nketiah – who has only played 10 minutes in the Premier League since 19 December – is the England Under-21 top scorer with 16 goals in 14 games, surpassing the old record of Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers (13).
“He is one of the leadership team, he is the record scorer which is huge when you consider he has beaten Alan Shearer,” England U21 boss Aidy Boothroyd said.
“He is very humble, hard working and before you talk about his football and intelligence he is a good guy who everyone likes and respects. He was the right choice [as captain].”
The Young Lions are in a group with the Swiss, Portugal and Croatia, with the top two from each group going into the knockout phase, which runs from 31 May to 6 June in Hungary and Slovenia.
“The tournament comes at a time which helps us, the players are in a rhythm,” Boothroyd said.
“When I go through the squad the majority are all playing which really helps me because they can hit he ground running.
“We have to get past the group stages but it will help us. We have to get through April and qualify first and get to the knockout stages.”
England U21 squad
Goalkeepers: Josef Bursik (Stoke City), Josh Griffiths (Cheltenham Town, on loan from West Bromwich Albion), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield United)
Defenders: Max Aarons (Norwich City), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Marc Guehi (Swansea City, on loan from Chelsea), Lloyd Kelly (AFC Bournemouth), Ryan Sessegnon (Hoffenheim, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Steven Sessegnon (Bristol City, on loan from Fulham), Japhet Tanganga (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Wilmot (Watford)
Midfielders: Todd Cantwell (Norwich City), Tom Davies (Everton), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Conor Gallagher (West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Dwight McNeil (Burnley), Oliver Skipp (Norwich City, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Attackers: Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Noni Madueke (PSV Eindhoven), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
England fixtures
Switzerland – Thursday, 25 March (14:00 GMT) in Koper
Portugal – Sunday, 28 March (20:00 BST) in Ljubljana
Croatia – Wednesday, 31 March (17:00 BST) in Koper
Line-ups England U21
Formation 3-4-3
1Ramsdale
4Godfrey5Guehi3Kelly
2Aarons6Davies16Skipp21McNeil
10Hudson-Odoi9Nketiah18Smith Rowe
Substitutes
Switzerland U21
Formation 4-4-2
21Racioppi
23Lotomba4Bamert5Zesiger20Muheim
8Toma6Domgjoni22Jankewitz14Ndoye
9Guillemenot11Zeqiri
Substitutes
Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili Live Text
83′
(Switzerland U21) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
83′
Callum Hudson-Odoi (England U21) is shown the yellow card.
83′
(England U21) wins a free kick on the right wing.
80′
Callum Hudson-Odoi (England U21) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80′
Foul by Miro Muheim (Switzerland U21).
80′
Attempt missed. Kastriot Imeri (Switzerland U21) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
80′
Andi Zeqiri (Switzerland U21) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
80′
Foul by Marc Guehi (England U21).
79′
Substitution, Switzerland U21. Felix Mambimbi replaces Dan Ndoye.
79′
Foul by Rhian Brewster (England U21).
79′
Jan Bamert (Switzerland U21) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
77′
Goal! England U21 0, Switzerland U21 1. Dan Ndoye (Switzerland U21) right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Kastriot Imeri.
77′
Rhian Brewster (England U21) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
77′
Foul by Cédric Zesiger (Switzerland U21).
76′
Substitution, England U21. Rhian Brewster replaces Eddie Nketiah.
76′
Substitution, England U21. Ryan Sessegnon replaces Dwight McNeil.
74′
Corner, Switzerland U21. Conceded by Dwight McNeil.
74′
Attempt blocked. Jordan Lotomba (Switzerland U21) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
74′
Attempt saved. Kastriot Imeri (Switzerland U21) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
73′
Attempt missed. Eddie Nketiah (England U21) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Callum Hudson-Odoi with a cross following a set piece situation.
