England crashes out of Euro Under-21 championship

England was eliminated from the European Under-21 Championship in Israel on Saturday night — the first team to go out of the eight-country tournament.

Stuart Pearce’s team lost 3-1 to Norway at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium, having lost its first game in the tournament to Italy, 1-0, on Wednesday night.

Later Saturday, the other two teams in Group A were playing: Italy and hosts Israel.

England was thoroughly outplayed by the skilled, exciting Norwegian team, which scored twice in the first half — in the 15th and 34th minutes — and went 3-0 up in the 51st, before England pulled back a consolation goal in the 57th minute.

Israeli commentators speculated that the future of much-liked coach Pearce, who has led England into four successive Under-21 tournaments, might now be in doubt, although his squad was badly affected by the absence of numerous key players.

England had played very poorly, by Pearce’s own admission, against Italy, but were even worse on Saturday night against a bright, confident Norway. England had been quietly confident going into the game, having won its five most recent matches against Norway at this level. But the team defended poorly in the first half, and couldn’t recover in the second.

A disappointed Pearce said after the game that “The teams that come with their strongest players and senior internationals to tournaments win” — a reference to the dozen or so young stars he would have brought in his squad if they hadn’t been allocated to the senior team or made unavailable by their clubs. He reiterated that he wanted to stay on in a job he said he enjoys, but said there would lessons to learn, and conversations to have with the Football Association, when the squad got home.

The two top teams in each of the two groups proceed to the tournament’s semi-finals. Norway, which now has 4 points after a 2-2 tie with Israel on Wednesday, is not yet assured of a semi-final place.