Sonny Perkins v Derby County

Perkins scores as England U18s beat Wales

Sonny Perkins found the net for England U18s in their 2-0 win over Wales in the latest round of international fixtures. 

Perkins was one of three Hammers across the age groups in international action on Friday, as fellow Academy forward Divin Mubama and first-team midfielder Nikola Vlašić also took to the field. 

The 2021/22 Dylan Tombides Award winner scored England U18s’ second finish in the four nations tournament win over Wales, expertly controlling a pass ten minutes from time before finding the net via the post. 

Chelsea’s Jude Soonsup-Bell had given England the first-half advantage when he latched fired a shot past Wales goalkeeper Ronnie Hollingshead.

Mubama would come on as a late substitute for the young England side, having himself made a goalscoring contribution in the 3-2 win over Austria earlier this week.

Nikola Vlašić

 

At senior level, Nikola Vlašić made a second-half appearance from the bench for Croatia in their late 1-0 win over Denmark in the UEFA Nations League. 

Vlašić was introduced on 58 minutes in place of Mislav Orsic, with Croatia securing the win thanks to Mario Pasalic’s finish on 69 minutes.

The win puts Croatia on four points in Group A1  in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League after three matches.

Elsewhere, Alphonse Areola was an unused substitute for France in their UEFA Nations League clash with Austria. 

Areola watched from the bench as his teammates went behind to an Andreas Weimann strike on 37 minutes, with the reigning World champions requiring a late Kylian Mbappe finish to secure a draw and a share of the points. 

Finally, Ben Johnson was also an unused substitute at U21s level. Having featured for England earlier this week, the full-back was on the bench as the young Lions continued their unbeaten run in European Championship qualifying with a 5-0 win against Kosovo. 

Hull’s Keane Lewis-Potter and Everton’s Anthony Gordon gave England the half-time lead, while Aston Villa’s Cameron Archer scored twice in the second half. Kosovo’s Ilir Krasniqi would net an unfortunate, late own-goal to finalise the result.

 

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