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Ethan Nwaneri finds the net in England U21s victory over Portugal in a friendly match

Ethan Nwaneri finds the net in England U21s victory over Portugal in a friendly match

Ethan Nwaneri scored on his first appearance for England Under-21s in a 4-2 friendly win against Portugal at The Hawthorns.

The young player from Arsenal had a strong performance, finding the back of the net just 10 minutes into the game.

Hayden Hackney opened the scoring for England, but Fabio Silva managed to pull one back for Portugal in the 22nd minute.

Omari Hutchinson, who was red-carded in the previous match against France, scored England's third goal, while Carlos Forbs scored for Portugal with five minutes left. Jaden Philogene secured the victory in stoppage time.

Lee Carsley was seeking his first win since taking charge of the Under-21s, making nine changes from the team that lost to France 5-3 on Friday.

Goalkeeper James Beadle made crucial saves early on to deny Portugal's Tiago Tomas and Silva.

England took the lead with their first meaningful attack, as Hackney intercepted and struck a long-range shot for his second goal at The Hawthorns this season.

Nwaneri showcased his talent with a fantastic goal from outside the box, assisted by Jobe Bellingham.

Despite Portugal's efforts, England continued to press forward, with Hutchinson coming close to scoring until a goal-line clearance denied him.

Portugal eventually found the net through a goal by Silva, set up by Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Pinheiro.

Portugal missed a chance to equalize when Sa's shot hit the post after Beadle initially stopped Silva's attempt.

The game intensified in the second half after Carsley made five substitutions, leading to Hutchinson scoring England's third goal.

Portugal pulled one back through Borges, but Philogene sealed the win with his fourth goal for the Under-21s.