Denmark U21 vs England U21. Under-21 International.
Blue Water Arena.
England make it 22 games unbeaten
Tuesday 20 November 2018 19:56, UK
Dominic Solanke scored another double as England U21s put on an impressive show to beat Denmark U21s 5-1 in a friendly in Esbjerg.
After netting twice in the 2-1 victory over Italy on Thursday, the Liverpool forward was in confident mood and he was among the goalscorers again (39, 47) as England stretched their unbeaten run to 22 games.
With Phil Foden starring in midfield, Demari Gray (31) opened the scoring and Dominic Calvert-Lewin also netted a late double (81, 86) - with the second from the penalty spot which denied Solanke the chance of a hat-trick - while Marcus Ingvartsen (42) scored for the Danes.
Denmark and England both qualified top of their respective groups for next summer's European U21 Championships and the draw for the finals is on Friday.
Gray gave England a deserved lead in the 31st minute when he was released down the left, after some incisive play from Foden, and he fired home from a tight angle.
Kieran Dowell then provided the ammunition for Solanke to maintain his good spell in front of goal with a looping header that nestled into the far corner.
Ingvartsen pulled one back for Denmark before half-time, but Solanke restored England's two-goal advantage with a sumptuous back-heel finish after Foden's low drive had been spilled by Daniel Iversen.
Calvert-Lewin got in on the act off the bench with nine minutes remaining after a great run down the right by Reiss Nelson.
The Everton forward rubberstamped the victory by winning and converting a penalty in the 86th minute to cap what has been an outstanding 2018 for Aidy Boothroyd's exciting side.
A performance which arguably deserved the chance to net a hat-trick, but he seemed quite happy to allow Calvert-Lewin to take the late spot-kick. The Liverpool striker provided a great platform up top for England to build off and showed his quality with two excellent finishes, which showcased his talents in the air and on the ground.
