England Under-21s earn spot in Denmark
Stuart Pearce's Young Lions secured a place in next summer's European Under-21 Championship Finals in Denmark after clinging on for a nervy goalless draw in Romania, which was enough to progress having beaten them 2-1 in the home leg of their play-off on Friday.
It marks the first time in 23 years that England's youngsters have made it to three successive tournaments and as Pearce led them in the last two qualification campaigns, it represents quite a boost to his CV given that some have touted the former Manchester City manager as a future national team boss.
The struggles of Romania's senior side may suggest that England weren't up against much on Tuesday lunchtime but Romania Under-21s were the third strongest in the entire continent during the group stage, so this was a significant scalp for captain Michael Mancienne and co.
The Young Lions reached the semi-finals of the Euros in 2007 and lost out to Germany in the final last year, so will be hoping to go one better and be crowned champions for the first time since 1987.
Published: 13 Oct 2010
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