Latest news with #Nitra
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Turk denies England as Slovenia keep their slim Euro Under-21 hopes alive
England Under-21s missed the chance to secure their place in the knockout stage of the European Championship after being held to a goalless draw by Slovenia. Lee Carsley's side were frustrated in the first half against a Slovenia team who threatened at times, but Ethan Nwaneri and Harvey Elliott spurned golden opportunities. James Beadle, the England goalkeeper, played his part in keeping them level with decent saves to deny Svit Seslar. England moved to the top of the group, for the time being at least, but will have to wait to secure their qualification against Germany when they meet in Nitra on Wednesday, while Slovenia kept their slim hopes of progressing alive. Slovenia started brightly and came close when Seslar's whipped free-kick deflected inches wide of the target. Beadle was then called into action for the first time to stop Seslar's drilled effort with his legs. England's first chance came in the 20th minute. James McAtee, the captain, will have been disappointed to drag his close-range effort harmlessly wide. England should have been ahead just before the half-hour when Jonathan Rowe showed great feet to get past his marker and put the ball on a plate for Nwaneri but, with the goal at his mercy, he somehow missed an easy tap-in. Slovenia started to threat again, with Seslar proving a menace as he let rip with a ferocious effort from outside the box which Beadle did well to tip over the crossbar. England again came close to an opener before the break, Elliot Anderson superbly picking out the run of Elliott. He lifted his effort over Martin Turk, the Slovenia goalkeeper, only to see the ball bounce off the upright and away from danger. Another glorious chance went begging when Tino Livramento hooked the ball into the six-yard area and McAtee directed a shot on goal but Turk was in the right place to save. Slovenia almost made England pay for those missed opportunities as another chance fell to Seslar, but he saw a curling strike saved by Beadle. Omari Hutchinson, on as a substitute, injected some pace into England's attack and his cross found Elliott, but he could not direct his header on target. England were denied in stoppage time as Brooke Norton-Cuffy's pinpoint cross found Jack Hinshelwood. He directed a powerful header on target but Turk tipped the ball behind and secured an important point.
The Independent
17 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
England Under-21s held to goalless stalemate by Slovenia
England Under-21s missed the chance to secure their place in the knockout stage of the European Championship after being held to a goalless draw by Slovenia. Lee Carsley's side were frustrated in the first half against a Slovenia side who threatened at times themselves, but Ethan Nwaneri and Harvey Elliott spurned golden opportunities. Goalkeeper James Beadle played his part in keeping England level with decent saves to deny Svit Seslar. England moved to the top of the group, for the time being at least, but will have to wait to secure their qualification against Germany when they meet in Nitra on Wednesday, while Slovenia kept their slim hopes of progressing alive. Slovenia started brightly and came close when Seslar's whipped free-kick deflected inches wide of the target and Beadle was then called into action for the first time to stop Seslar's drilled effort with his legs. England's first chance came in the 20th minute. Captain James McAtee will have been disappointed to drag his close-range effort harmlessly wide. England should have been ahead just before the half-hour when Jonathan Rowe showed great feet to get past his marker and put the ball on a plate for Nwaneri, but with the goal at his mercy he somehow missed an easy tap-in. Slovenia started to threat again, with Seslar proving a menace as he let rip with a ferocious effort from outside the box which Beadle did well to tip over the crossbar. England again came close to an opener before the break. Elliot Anderson superbly picked out the run of Elliott and he lifted his effort over goalkeeper Martin Turk only to see the ball bounce off the upright and away from danger. Another glorious chance went begging when Tino Livramento hooked the ball into the six-yard area and McAtee directed a shot on goal but Turk was in the right place to save. Slovenia almost made England pay for those missed chances as another chance fell to Seslar, but he saw a curling strike saved by Beadle. Substitute Omari Hutchinson injected some pace into England's attack and his cross found Elliott who could not direct his header on target. England were denied in stoppage time as Brooke Norton-Cuffy's pinpoint cross picked out Jack Hinshelwood who directed a powerful header on target but Turk tipped the ball behind and secured an important point.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England Under-21s left sweating on spot in the Euros quarter-finals after 0-0 stalemate against stubborn Slovenia
Perhaps pumping 'Three Lions' through the PA system before the game wasn't the wisest move as England Under-21's hopes of reaching the knockout stage hinge on a final round against Germany after a 0-0 draw with Slovenia. Fans from Barnsley, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, London and York descended en masse to the city of Nitra for the second game of England's Under-21 Euro title defence. There was a merriment in the stands at the David Baddiel and Frank Skinner classic but those smiles were quickly replaced by expressions of angst as England's continued experiment without a No 9 came up short of answers and, crucially, goals. Here was supposed to be a day where England would book safe passage into the quarter-finals with a game to spare. Instead, Lee Carsley finds himself with more questions than answers. Carsley made two changes to the side that opened this title defence against Czech Republic, with Hayden Hackney and Ethan Nwaneri in for Alex Scott and Omari Hutchinson. But the control which wore the Czechs down was missing here, particularly in the early stages when a bicycle kick from Svit Seslar and a low drive by Tio Cipot - cleared off the line by James Beadle - had England sweating. For as much as England flattered to deceive for large spells of a thrilling first half they did go back to the dressing rooms having had the best opportunities. Captain James McAtee should have done better when a ricochet fell to him on the right-side of the box, only for him to drag his shot wide of the far post. Nwaneri was next to be left wondering at his finishing when brilliant play wide right by Jonathan Rowe saw a ball fizzed across the area, only for Nwaneri to get his feet mixed up to fluff turning into an open net from two yards out. There was also time for Harvey Elliott to clip the post when Elliot Anderson's diagonal through ball was met on the volley by the Liverpool forward, who saw his effort brush the post almost in slow motion. England tried to catch Slovenia cold soon after the restart and it took a ninja-like reflex save on the line by Martin Turk to stop McAtee scoring from two yards out after Tino Livramento's cross. Slovenia dominated the ball in their opening defeat to Germany and Carsley had warned his players against complacency even as they found their groove here. Nwaneri began to discover a rhythm dribbling and cutting inside as he often loves to do for Arsenal, while substitute Omari Hutchinson looked bright. Both lacked finesse when it came to the final cross or shot, though. England rallied, throwing on Jay Stansfield, the closest thing this squad has to a No 9, among a host of late substitutions, but it proved in vain. Too much similarity, too many similar runs and similar ideas in parts of the pitch that didn't exploit the two Slovenian centre backs, who looked to be the weak link, proved England's undoing in what felt a pretty flat run to the final whistle. Slovenia were more than worthy of the point they took here and it will go to the final group game against Germany to see just how much longer England's Euros title defence will last.
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
England v Slovenia: European Under-21 Championship
Update: Date: 2025-06-15T14:30:19.000Z Title: Preamble Content: And so to Nitra, where the holders England played Slovenia in their second group game of the European Under-21 Championship. A hard-fought victory over the Czech Republic means Lee Carsley's side will almost certainly qualify for the quarter-finals if they win again today. Fail and it will come to the last group game against Germany. But the likeliest scenario, certainly the ideal one for England, is that the only thing at stake in that game will be who finishes top of the group. Kick off 5pm.
