Arsenal duo help England qualify for u17s Euros & World Cup | OneFootball

Arsenal youngsters Max Dowman and Jack Porter helped the England u17s to another win on Saturday, securing qualification for both the u17 Euros and the u17 World Cup later this year.

Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB

The England u17s are playing in Round 2 of the u17 Euro qualifiers over the March international break, having topped their Round 1 group ahead of Sweden, Latvia, and Malta.

This time around, England were drawn in a group alongside Israel, Slovenia, and Northern Ireland, knowing that topping the group would secure qualification for both the u17 Euros and also the u17 World Cup later this year.

Things started off well for England, with Arsenal duo Jack Porter and Max Dowman both making the lineup against Israel on Wednesday.

Porter kept a clean sheet and Dowman set up England’s second goal in a 2-0 win to earn three points on the opening day, whilst Slovenia drew 1-1 with Northern Ireland.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos – The FA/The FA via Getty Images

England’s second match was against Slovenia, and once again, both Porter and Dowman were named in the starting eleven. Within just three minutes, Dowman had made an impact by setting up Freddie Simmonds’ opening goal.

Though England went 2-0 up again, there was no clean sheet for Porter this time, as Slovenia pulled the game back to 2-2. But a late goal for the Young Lions ensured another three points for the team.

With Israel beating Northern Ireland later in the day, England have officially topped the group. Only Israel can match England’s points total of six on the final day, and they would still finish second based on the head-to-head record between the two.

Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB

Most likely, that will mean some rotation in the final game against Northern Ireland, so we may not see third starts for Porter and Dowman. They’ve done their jobs, and they can now prepare for the u17 Euros in May and the u17 World Cup in November.