Academy trio reach U17s EUROs as Joe Andrews makes Wales history
It was a busy international break for Southampton’s Academy stars as Joe Andrews helped Wales make history in qualifying for the UEFA European Under-17s Championships, whilst Tyler Dibling and Jayden Meghoma ensured England also reached this summer’s tournament.
In the Elite Round of qualifying for the finals, that are being held in Hungary this summer, eight groups battled it out for 15 places alongside the hosts in May.
Joe Andrews took his place in the Wales squad that secured the first-ever tournament qualification for any men's youth age group, finishing as Group 2 winners above Scotland, Iceland, and Montenegro.
The Saints midfielder played almost the entirety of the 4-2 win over Scotland before being introduced as a late substitute in their 1-1 draw against Iceland, almost finding a winning goal with a strike against the woodwork.
In the final group game, Andrews started again and played 68 minutes as Wales came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Montenegro which saw them secure the top spot after Scotland and Iceland played out a goalless draw, sparking jubilant scenes after the final whistle.
Elsewhere, Tyler Dibling and Jayden Meghoma both played important roles as England qualified for the finals as runners up of Group 3 ahead of Denmark and Northern Ireland but behind the Netherlands.
Dibling played a key role in the first match - a 3-1 win over Denmark - as he registered two assists in the victory whilst Meghoma was an unused substitute.
It was then Meghoma’s turn to be provider in the second game as the left-back assisted Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri for the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.
Dibling came off the bench as a late substitute, but then played the full 90 minutes in England’s final match as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against the Netherlands; the Young Lions had done enough to qualify as runners-up with six points for their first finals appearance since 2019.
In friendly action, Kamari Doyle earned his first England Under-18s call-up for games against Croatia, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Saints’ in-form midfielder made his debut as a 61st-minute sub in a 2-1 win over Croatia to kick off the week’s action.
He made his first start against Belgium as England were beaten 3-0, before finishing with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland that Doyle introduced off the bench in the second half.
Finally, Josh Squires earned his first Scotland Under-18s call-up as he featured in two friendlies against Wales; the games ended in a 2-1 defeat and a 2-2 draw with Squires coming off the bench in the first outing and playing just under an hour in the second.
