We’ll always have Brazil
Scots babes wilt in semi crunch but shock Samba win will live in memory
GORDON STRACHAN will be hoping this Auld Enemy appetiser for Saturday’s main event isn’t an omen as Scotland’s Toulon dream was ruined by England.
Scot Gemmill watched his side outplayed by their arch-rivals as they lost heavily in their semi-final in Stade Parsemain.
The Under-20s, playing their fourth game in eight days, wilted in the scorching heat in For-sur-Mer and were second best to the defending champions.
Gemmill must now pick his players up for tomorrow’s 3rd/4th place play-off against the Czech Republic in Aubagne.
They can have few complaints after Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes struck either side of Elliot Embleton’s goal early in the second half which killed the tie.
Scotland rarely threatened and were lucky the damage wasn’t worse. Now their first appearance in the competition for 20 years will be remembered for the country’s first-ever win over Brazil.
The setting here was a million miles from what Saturday will be like when the ancient rivals clash at a packed Hampden.
A handful of travelling Tartan Army foot soldiers followed the Scots here but most of the 17,000 seats in the home of former French Ligue 1 club FC Istres were empty.
But it was the venue at which the Scotland youngsters made history against Brazil and they were looking for a result that would even eclipse that win.
It required another huge effort from the Scots as they had only had one rest day since their final group win over Indonesia.
England, on the other hand, had enjoyed three days off since beating Japan in a victory that completed a perfect group section for the Three Lions.
They scored 10 goals in those three games, albeit seven of those came against the whipping boys of Cuba.
England arrived in the south of France with little expectation despite defending a title they won for the first time in 22 years under Gareth Southgate 12 months ago.
With the Toulon Tournament clashing with other major underage competitions – including the Under-20 World Cup where England have reached the final – it left boss Neil Dewsnip with an experimental national team.
His squad is largely made up of
Under-18s, supplemented with older players, yet they were still odds-on favourites to swat the Scots aside.
But Gemmill had the luxury of calling upon a £13million full international in Oliver Burke, fully recovered from the ankle knock that kept him out of the Indonesia game.
The FA tried to poach the RB Leipzig man before he declared allegiance to Scotland and this was a chance for him to show what they had missed, even if he’d have preferred the stage to be Hampden on Saturday.
Burke’s inclusion meant there was no place for Ryan Hardie despite the Rangers striker’s double against Indonesia booking the last-four place.
England made nine changes from their final group game as they fielded their strongest line-up and opened the scoring after just six minutes. Burke was dispossessed by Joshua Tymon who fed Barnes.
The Leicester man ran at the Scotland defence before firing a low shot which crept into the bottom corner.
England should have doubled their lead when David Brooks had a shot blocked before Scotland keeper Jack Ruddy pulled off a point-blank save from Embleton who had latched on to the rebound.
And when the ball fell to Chelsea’s Ike Ugbo he should have steered home but somehow put his effort past the post.
Scotland then suffered an injury blow when Ross McCrorie was stretchered off after a clash of heads with Ronaldo Vieira – with Chelsea’s Ruben Sammut his replacement.
The Scots were growing in confidence as the half wore on and enjoyed a spell of pressure without creating any clear-cut chances to score. But they shot themselves in the foot 10 minutes into the second half when they gifted England a second goal, leaving them with a mountain to climb. Alex Iacovitti was sloppy in possession and after Brooks had robbed him the Englishman slipped the ball to Embleton who fired past Ruddy. There was no way back after that and young Foxes star Barnes put the icing on the cake for England when he curled home a brilliant third to rub salt into Scotland’s wounds. Scotland sub Hardie came closest to scoring after that with a header which was well saved.