Luca on target as England Under-17s emerge victorious in Malta

Academy players Jun’ai Byfield, Malachi Hardy and Luca Williams-Barnett all featured – with the latter on target against Latvia – as England Under-17s won their European Championship qualifying group in Malta this week.

The trio were in the thick of the action as the Young Lions scored four goals in each game against the host nation, Latvia and Sweden to secure top spot with three wins from three.

Defenders Jun’ai and Malachi both started against Malta last Thursday (24 October) with Luca coming off the bench in a 4-0 win.

The latter marked his addition to the starting line-up against Latvia three days later (Sunday 27 October) with England’s second goal in another victory by the same scoreline. Jun’ai also started, with Malachi an unused substitute.

Jun’ai and Malachi then started once more in a 4-2 triumph over Sweden on Wednesday – a match where both teams knew they had already qualified for the next phase before kick-off – with Luca unused on the bench.

Centre-back Malachi captained the team on both of his starts.

All three games took place at the Centenary Stadium in Ta’ Qali.