Report: England MU21s 7-0 Azerbaijan

England men’s under-21s secured top spot in their 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying group with a comprehensive 7-0 victory over Azerbaijan at Ashton Gate.

The Young Lions were in dominant form in Bristol, with six different players getting on the scoresheet alongside an own goal to cap a fine night for Ben Futcher’s players.

Headers from defenders Charlie Cresswell and Callum Doyle put England in control at the break and they kicked on after half time, with James McAtee, Elliot Anderson, Dane Scarlett and Omari Hutchinson all getting on the scoresheet.

It took under three minutes for England to take the lead, as Creswell headed home Jamie Gittens' cross from close range after a well-worked corner routine by the Young Lions.

The lead was almost doubled ten minutes later after some neat interplay saw Morgan Rogers release McAtee but he could only slide his effort the wrong side of the post.

Rogers had his own sight of goal soon after, latching onto a raking pass from Jarell Quansah but the forward could not quite keep his volleyed effort down.

Rogers then turned provider again as the Young Lions kept up their relentless pressure, this time finding Samuel Iling-Junior on the edge of the box but his shot was smartly saved by Khayal Farzullayev.

That pressure finally delivered a second goal, as Doyle headed home former Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott’s free kick at the back post.

Iling-Junior then forced a goal-saving block from Suleyman Damadayev after the ball fell kindly to the winger in the box after yet more England pressure.

Azerbaijan had their best chance of the first period on the stroke of half time but James Beadle produced a strong save to deny Nariman Akhundzade and ensure the Young Lions went into the break with a 2-0 advantage.

England started the second half brightly and almost added to their lead inside the opening two minutes as McAtee won the ball high up the pitch and fed Rogers but his shot was smothered by Farzullayev.

The third came ten minutes after half time, as McAtee grabbed his fifth goal of the qualifying campaign and third of the international break by heading home Iling-Junior’s cross.

Gittens came agonisingly close to adding a fourth five minutes later, as he displayed fabulous footwork to find space and curl a shot that crashed off the crossbar and down but crucially not over the line.

The Young Lions continued to work chance and McAtee almost had his second of the match but for a brave block from Mahir Hasanov.

The visitors continued to pose a threat on the break and Beadle was called into action to palm away a snapshot from Musa Gurbanli.

But England extended their lead just minutes later as Jalal Huseynov diverted substitute Hutchinson’s cross into his own net.

Anderson then made it 5-0 a few minutes later, converting Hutchinson’s cross from the middle of the penalty box for his first goal for the Young Lions.

Hutchinson was proving a handful on the right wing and nearly set up another goal as McAtee’s header from his cross cannoned off the post.

Scarlett added a sixth five minutes from time as he pounced on an error from Farzullayev to slam home from close range.

Hutchinson then got on target himself, as he tapped home from close range after Scarlett broke into the box and squared.

England: 13 James Beadle (Sheffield Wednesday on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion); 4 Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), 8 Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth), 10 James McAtee (Manchester City), 12 Callum Doyle (Norwich City on loan from Manchester City), 15 Charlie Cresswell (Toulouse), 16 Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), 17 Samuel Iling-Junior (Bologna on loan from Aston Villa), 18 Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), 20 Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa); 21 Jamie Gittens (Borrusia Dortmund)

Substitutes: 7 Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town) for Rogers 61’, 23 Dane Scarlett (Oxford United on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) for Gittens 61’, ), 3 Lewis Hall (Newcastle United) for Doyle 71’, 6 Tyler Morton (Liverpool) for Gray 71’, 14 Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton & Hove Albion) for Scott 71’

Subs not used: 1 James Trafford (Burnley), 5 Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton), 22 Sam Tickle (Wigan Athletic)

Goals: Cresswell 2’, Doyle 27’, McAtee 55’, Huseynov o.g.70’, Anderson 72’, Scarlett 85, Hutchinson 90’

Interim head coach: Ben Futcher

Azerbaijan: 12 Khayal Farzullayev; 2 Abdulla Rzayev, 3 Rufat Abbasov, 4 Jalal Huseynov, 5 Mahir Hasanov, 6 Zeynaddin Abdurahmanov, 7 Khayal Aliyev, 8 Farid Yusifli, 9 Musa Gurbanli, 11 Nariman Akhundzade, 15 Suleyman Damadayev

Substitutes: 19 Aghadadash Salyanskiy for Gurbanli 76’, 10 Samir Abdullayev for Aliyev 76’ , 20 Rufat Ahmadov for Abbasov 76’, 14 Gurban Safarov for Rzayev 87’

Subs not used: 1 Rustam Samigullin, 13 Seymur Mammadov, 17 Murad Velijev, 18 Rauf Rustamli, 21 Emin Rustamov

Coach: Samir Aliyev