Walcott brace fires U21s into Euros
Walcott has been limited to substitute appearances for Arsenal so far this season
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Tuesday, 10, Oct 2006 10:49
Young Arsenal forward Theo Walcott booked himself a second international trip in as many summers, scoring twice for England under-21s as they beat their German counterparts to qualify for the European Championships.
The 17-year-old prodigy netted twice late on seal a 2-0 victory for his team in Leverkusen and a comprehensive 3-0 scoreline on aggregate.
Manager Peter Taylor had preferred Watford's in-form Ashley Young ahead of Walcott in the starting line-up and, considering the full-bloodied opening period, he may have been wise to do so.
Certainly Arsene Wenger will have been pleased that his £12 million investment missed the fierce first 70 minutes which saw two red cards and six yellows handed out.
Markus Brzenska was given his marching orders after just 13 minutes for a cynical tug on David Nugent as the Preston North End striker threatened to burst clear.
But in spite of their numerical advantage England were forced back by an energetic home side and conceded a penalty on 23 minutes which threatened to throw the tie wide open
However Gonzalo Castro shot wide of Scott Carson's goal and, although they created a host of other chances, the game remained goalless at the break.
Ominously for England, the sides were evened up shortly after the break as Steven Taylor picked up a second yellow for his challenge on Mario Gomez.
A combination of last-ditch defending and wasteful finishing continued to preserve England's slender lead until the introduction of Walcott with 16 minutes left on the clock.
On 84 minutes the former Southampton player sprinted clear of the tiring opposition defenders and finished with consummate self-belief.
He repeated the trick on the brink of injury-time to close out the game and further feed the hype the already surrounds him.