Emile Smith Rowe got himself on the scoresheet as England kicked off their U21 European Championship campaign with a 2-0 win against the Czech Republic.
Emile started the game on the bench at the Batumi Arena in Georgia, and watched on as his team squandered numerous opportunities in the first half, with Chelsea's Noni Madueke coming closest when he struck the woodwork.
However the deadlock was broken two minutes into the second half when Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey linked up with Anthony Gordon before tucking the ball home, but the Three Lions couldn’t quite find a way to wrap the game up, including when Gordon saw a goal ruled out for offside.
Lee Carlsey opted to introduce Emile after 79 minutes, and in stoppage-time some good work by another Villan in Cameron Archer saw him put the ball on a plate for our man to score his fourth goal for his country at under-21 level, on his 11th appearance.
The win puts England top of the group after Israel and Germany played out a 1-1 draw in the other match. Emile’s team will now take on Israel on Sunday, before facing the reigning champions on Wednesday, June 28.
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