Mara nets as U21 EURO qualifiers begin
Sékou Mara scored his first goal for France Under-21s as Les Bleuets began their UEFA U21 EURO 2025 qualifying campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win over Slovenia on Monday.
Starting on the bench, the Saints striker watched on as two goals from PSG’s Bradley Barcola and a strike from Lyon’s Rayan Cherki put the result beyond doubt for Thierry Henry’s side.
Introduced in the 81st minute, Mara took just seven minutes to find the net, sliding in to turn home Elye Wahi’s pass and conclude the scoring.
Elsewhere, it was a similarly routine victory for Taylor Harwood-Bellis and reigning EURO U21 champions England.
Once again captaining the side, the defender helped keep a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Luxembourg in the Young Lions’ opening qualifier, with Liam Delap, Callum Doyle and Cole Palmer on the scoresheet.
Saints teammate Sam Edozie – who was with the Under-21s for the first time – was an unused substitute in Differdange.
