Academy duo seal U17 World Cup qualification with England
Southampton's Tyler Dibling and Jayden Meghoma have helped England qualify for the 2023 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, despite being knocked out of the UEFA Under-17 European Championships at the quarter-final stage.
The pair reached the knockout stages of this summer's EUROs for England's first time since 2018 after topping their group in Hungary.
The Young Lions then faced a quarter-final clash with current holders France and bowed out of the tournament after an 89th minute penalty resulted in a 1-0 defeat; Meghoma played the full game whilst Dibling also started and played 70 minutes in Balmazújváros.
However, their job wasn't finished as the two beaten quarter-finalists with the best group stage record faced a playoff to seal Europe's fifth place at the U17 World Cup, which is taking place later this year between November 10th and December 2nd.
Saints' youngsters both began on the bench in the face-off with Switzerland as England took the lead but their opponents turned the tie around either side of half-time.
Meghoma was introduced shortly after his side fell behind and aided England's own comeback to earn a 4-2 victory and secure their World Cup qualification for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2017.
