England's U21 Euro hopes take hit with loss to Portugal

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:08 am

Portugal U21 players celebrate after scoring a goal against England in the U21 Euro group stage.
Portugal U21 players celebrate after scoring a goal against England in the U21 Euro group stage.
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England's chances of reaching the knockout round of the Under-21 2021 European Championships took a hit in a loss to Portugal in Group D on Sunday.

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Dany Mota Carvalho opened the scoring for Portugal in the 64th minute and Francisco Trincao added a second for his team from the penalty spot after Marc Guehi fouled Goncalo Ramos in the area.

The result leaves England on zero points from their first two matches after Aidy Boothroyd's side lost to Switzerland on Thursday, while Portugal lead with six points and Croatia and Switzerland are in second and third with three points each.

The top two teams from each of the four-team groups advance to the quarterfinal knockout stage, meaning England need to beat Croatia in their final group game on Wednesday and must have Switzerland lose to Portugal to have any chance of moving on.