Balogun at the double as England secure Euros qualification

THE night England Under 21s secured their place at the European Championship rather encapsulated the qualifying campaign as a whole.

They were patient, pushing clear late on after wearing down their opposition, and did not react to antagonism. Albania — obdurate and lacking attacking intent — tried kicking as many limbs as possible.

But that patience and calmness should serve Lee Carsley’s side well at the Euros next year. England are there with a couple of games to spare after Folarin Balogun settled this with two poacher’s finishes, Cameron Archer’s clever late flick adding gloss.

‘We shouldn’t take qualifying for granted,’ said Carsley. ‘We’ve shown resilience and that we can control games. ‘When a team is so deep it’s important you don’t get frustrated or force things.

‘I want us to play attacking and be expressive, penetrating whenever we get the chance.’ Anthony Gordon, the Everton winger, was a shining light off the left-hand side and caused untold problems.

Albania often double-marked him and it was looking as if they would reach half-time unscathed after Angel Gomes could only hit the post from a flowing one-touch move.

The visitors undid themselves seconds before the break, however, when Adolf Selmani failed to recover from a poor first touch inside his own box. Emile Smith Rowe robbed him of possession and squared for his Arsenal team-mate, who forced it into an empty net. Albania started lashing out and Gordon was constantly hacked down. ‘It’s easier said than done but if someone is kicking you then take it as a compliment,’ added Carsley.

‘Anthony was outstanding.’ Gomes went flying into an advertising hoarding after a late shove and Balogun doubled his tally with a header from the resulting free-kick.

Archer impressed off the bench, meeting Gordon’s cross to score a third, while Albania’s Armando Dobra saw red.