Everton defender John Stones believes England Under-21s showcased the qualities of ‘great teams’ by grabbing a late winner in their final friendly before the European Championships in Prague.
Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson struck eight minutes from time to secure a 1-0 victory over Belarus Under-21s at Oakwell, after the Young Lions had been thwarted throughout by their resolute visitors.
Gareth Southgate’s side were made to wait for their moment of glory, but Stones believes Gibson’s timely strike proves they are capable of scoring at any time.
“Great teams score late goals, that shows we can score at any time in the game and hopefully we can take that into the tournament,” said the Toffees centre-back.
“I thought we created a lot of chances that we should be putting away. I think you could call that a negative but keeping a clean sheet and scoring a late winner is nice.”
Stones, who was handed a rapturous ovation on returning to a ground he once called home during his spell at Barnsley, insists the Young Lions are coping well with the expectations ahead of the tournament and praised manager Gareth Southgate for easing some of the pressure.
He added: “I’m really excited with the team we’ve got and it should be a great tournament. We are quietly confident, but whatever the tournament throws at us we have to be prepared for.
“The gaffa has been great. He takes all the pressure off us and allows us to enjoy our game. You can tell that from watching us.”
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