England secured their place in the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championship with a comfortable victory over Israel in Georgia. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a powerful header from a Morgan Gibbs-White cross.
In the 68th minute, Gibbs-White provided another assist, setting up Emile Smith Rowe to score low into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. The win ensured England finished at the top of Group C and will now face the runners-up from Group A in the next round.
Group A remains undecided, with Georgia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal all still in contention for qualification to the knockout stage. Israel posed little threat throughout the match, with their only shot on target being Oscar Gloukh's saved free-kick just before half-time.
England manager Gareth Southgate was present at the Ramaz Shengelia Stadium and would have been impressed by several players from the U21 squad. Gibbs-White, from Nottingham Forest, had an excellent performance, while Smith Rowe of Arsenal, the only player in the team with a senior cap, scored his second goal in as many matches, despite having an earlier goal disallowed.
In the group's other match, Germany suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Czech Republic, leaving the defending champions in a position where they must defeat Lee Carsley's England side, who have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, in order to progress to the next stage.
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