Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EURO 2019 QUALIFIER TOE GOOD TO BE TRUE
MONDAY: Solanke can’t even get boot on his swollen foot TUESDAY: Grabs late winner to put England five points clear
DOMINIC SOLANKE rescued a win – a day after not being able to pull his boot on.
The Liverpool striker suffered from a swollen, infected toe and missed the friendly against Romania at the weekend.
But he declared himself fit in the warm-up and snatched a late winner – moments after England threw away the lead.
Boss Aidy Boothroyd (below) said: “Solanke had an infection in his toe. It was one of those injuries where you can’t get your boot on.
“It was an injury where a couple of days of antibiotics gets you right.
“He had been in pain – but there is pain and pain. It was far from perfect performance-wise.
“To concede late on and have the character to keep going, keep making the runs, then Solanke’s finish .... I am very pleased with the result.
“It is a massive win. We have got the quality to change it around. “When they scored we grabbed it back off them.”
Solanke came on as a 77th-minute sub and headed Boothroyd’s men into a strong position to qualify for next summer’s Euro finals when he guided home Ben Chilwell’s cross in two minutes from time.
England looked comfortable after Dominic Calvert-lewin netted late in the first half.
But after getting sloppy in the second, Ukraine defender Mykola Shaparenko headed home in the 83rd minute before Solanke’s winner.
Everton’s Calvert-lewin returned to Bramall Lane, where he was an apprentice, and shone.
He produced a lovely shoulder drop left, and dinked shot to the right past keeper Andriy Lunin.
Boothroyd added: “He did very well. He made a lot of unselfish runs and toed one in. It’s great for him to come back here where they didn’t see the best of him.”
The U-21s have gone 31 unbeaten in qualifying or play-off games since November 2011 and should secure a finals place, especially if they avoid defeat to
Holland in
September.