England U21s stretch unbeaten run to 19 games after draw with obdurate Poland side

England U21s 1-1 Poland U21s

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first-half strike was cancelled out by a sensational free-kick as England under-21s were held by an obdurate Poland side at Ashton Gate.

The draw extends England’s unbeaten run to 19 games under Aidy Boothroyd, although the manager would have expected his side to be more clinical in attack.

England missed a series of chances either side of half-time against a defensive-minded Poland, who relied on a terrific long-range strike from Sebastian Szymanski to breach the England backline.

There were still plenty of positives for Boothroyd, not least the commanding performance of Fikayo Tomori, the Chelsea defender on loan at Derby County.

“Their coach said to me at the end, thanks for the defensive workout,” said Boothroyd. “It was up to us to break them down. Although I thought we played some fantastic stuff, it was just the final ball that was not quite right.

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“But that happens, especially when you have not been together for four months. Overall, it was quite satisfying, I thought.”

As was to be expected from a side that boasted the technical quality of James Maddison and Phil Foden in midfield, England were in control for most of the match. There was a nice balance to Boothroyd’s side, with Reiss Nelson and Ademola Lookman providing invention on the wings and Calvert-Lewin offering a physical threat through the middle.

Calvert-Lewin soon scored the opener, but it should really have been his second of the night. The Everton striker had already spurned a one-on-one opportunity, after a gorgeous Foden pass, before he tapped home from close range after Nelson had skipped past Poland goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.

Poland showed little to suggest they had the quality to properly test Angus Gunn. Indeed, the England goalkeeper was so confident that there was no danger from a 30-yard free-kick that he did not set up a wall. Up stepped Szymanski, though, to unleash a wonderful strike into the top corner.

The pattern of English dominance continued into the second half, with Jonjoe Kenny’s drilled effort bouncing onto the top of the post. England kept pushing but they were unable to find the key pass against an organised Poland defence.