England 2-0 Israel: Young Lions roar into Under-21 Euros quarter-finals as Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith Rowe strike

Emile Smith Rowe scored his second goal in two games to fire England into the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championship with a 2-0 win over Israel.

Lee Carsley’s side sit top of Group C with a perfect six points from six, with the Czech Republic second on three points after their 2-1 win over Germany.

The Young Lions are guaranteed to win the group regardless of their final result against Germany, as head-to-head is the tie-breaker and the Czechs – the only team who could catch them – are three points behind.

England join Spain and Ukraine in securing a quarter-final spot with a game still to play.

Gordon opened the scoring after 16 minutes by darting to the near post to meet a Morgan Gibbs-White cross and heading home.

The Young Lions, being watched by senior boss Gareth Southgate in Kutaisi, managed to survive some pressure to maintain their lead by the break, with James Trafford making an excellent save to deny Eitan Azoulay.

Smith Rowe then finished off a superb team move with 68 minutes on the clock, playing a one-two with Gibbs-White before firing home a powerful low shot to clinch the victory.

In the other Group C game, an 87th-minute Martin Vitik winner gave the Czechs a 2-1 win over Germany to put them on the brink of the knockout stages.

In Group D, Italy survived a spirited second-half comeback to beat Switzerland 3-2 and draw level with the Swiss and France on three points.

The Azzurrini were rampant in the first half as early goals from Lorenzo Pirola and Wilfried Gnonto put them in charge, before Fabiano Parisi extended their lead to three goals before the break.

However, Kastriot Imeri and Zeki Amdouni struck early in the second half, leaving the Swiss with almost a full 40 minutes to try and complete a comeback.

They couldn’t get the goal they needed, though, leaving the group tightly balanced ahead of Norway’s late kick-off against France.