Long Fires England U18s to Victory

Academy striker helps Young Lions triumph against Italy.

Everton youngster Chris Long helped fire England Under-18s to a 2-0 win over Italy on Wednesday evening.

The Academy forward almost opened the scoring after just 30 seconds in Mansfield, but his shot was blocked on the line by Dario Del Fabro.

Two minutes later, however, Long did find the back of the net. A perfect run onto Isaac Hayden's centre gave the young Blue plenty of space to finish from inside the six-yard box.

After the game, he said: “It was the best experience of my life..

“Playing in front of 5000 people was unbelievable. Especially being home fans, there’s no better feeling to be honest.”

Long played the full contest, while Everton colleague Conor Grant featured for 61 minutes.

England sealed their two-goal triumph through ManchesterCity striker Devante Cole.