England have been eliminated from the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in spectacular fashion, losing 4-0 against Austria in the round of 16. Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez's red card shortly after the Young Lions fell behind early in the second half proved to be a crucial moment, with Austria eventually going on to run up the score-line in the latter stages of the knockout tie.
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England collapse in Qatar
At the Aspire Zone in Qatar, where the world's best teenage players have been performing for the past couple of weeks, England proved no match for an Austria side enjoying what is already their country's best ever performance at this age-restricted tournament.
Austria took the lead two minutes into the second half when Hasan Deshiksu managed to dribble his way into the penalty area and squeezed a shot between Jack Porter and the near post, something the Arsenal goalkeeper will no doubt be disappointed with. Then came Rodriguez's red card, which handed Austria an advantage they made sure to fully take.
Johannes Moser doubled the lead from the penalty spot after 70 minutes, before adding an Austrian third less than 10 minutes later. As England collapsed, the fourth goal came from defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe in the closing stages, tapping in on the line after Porter had saved an initial attempt.
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The MVP
Based at Red Bull Salzburg feeder club FC Liefering, Johannes Moser scored twice to help fire Austria in the quarter-finals, where they will face Japan. The 17-year-old midfielder was playing regularly at frst-team level in Austria's second tier prior to this tournament and his 2025 is only getting better.
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The big loser
Lyon's Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez was guilty of missing a hatful of chances in England's shock opening group stage defeat to Venezuela, ironically the country he switched allegiance from to play for the Young Lions, and was again at the centre of things for the wrong reasons here.
His dismissal, the result of a late challenge on Austrian goalkeeper Daniel Posch, wasn't the only reason England are out of the tournament. But it certainly didn't help, coming at a poor time right after falling behind with almost half the game still left to play. From that moment, England were up against it and the momentum was firmly with Austria for the rest of the tie.
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Match rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
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