Football News : Norway scalp keeps England U21s in control

England took a stranglehold on European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group
Eight after holding on to beat Norway in Drammen.

GettyImagesJordan Henderson was on target for England Under-21s against their Norwegian counterparts

• Pearce lauds brave Dawson

Stuart Pearce's England maintained their 100% start to the new campaign and
ended that of their opponents to put them firmly on course to qualify for a
fourth successive finals.

Like their senior counterparts in Montenegro on Friday, England raced into a
2-0 lead, prolific defender Craig Dawson and captain Jordan Henderson
both scoring inside seven minutes.

The dangerous Valon Berisha pulled one back midway through the first half but,
unlike Montenegro, Norway failed to equalise, wasting more than one opportunity
to do so.

The result left England on nine points, three clear of Norway ahead of next
month's double-header against Iceland and Belgium.

Monday night's match was also part of a double-header, one that was expected to
provide the toughest test of the campaign for Pearce's latest batch of
youngsters.

But Thursday's victory in Iceland was a cakewalk and despite a spate of
injuries - including one to left-back Matthew Briggs in the warm-up -
Norway also appeared cannon fodder early on in Drammen.

Any fears about how England, who handed debuts to Peterborough's Ryan Bennett
and Blackburn's Jason Lowe, would adapt their opponents' synthetic 4G pitch were
quickly dispelled when Dawson powered home what is fast becoming a trademark
header from Henri Lansbury's corner inside three minutes.

It was the West Brom defender's third goal in just four under-21 starts and it
got better for the visitors four minutes later when Henderson pounced on Ross
Barkley's centre to make it 2-0.

But England soon surrendered the initiative and were made to pay in the 23rd
minute when Nathan Baker - in for Briggs - failed to deal with a ball over the
top, allowing Berisha to tuck home Markus Henriksen's cross.

The visitors suffered another blow when Dawson was forced off for almost 10
minutes after a clash of heads left blood streaming down his face.

Baker cleared a Havard Nordtveit effort off the line before Dawson eventually
returned, sporting a Terry Butcher-style bandage.

But Norway should have levelled three minutes before half-time when Frederik
Berge shot tamely at Jack Butland.

England withdrew Barkley for Gary Gardner early in the second half but they
were unable to re-establish their early dominance.

More substitutions followed for both sides and one of them thought he had set
up the equaliser in the 80th minute but Markus Pedersen somehow scuffed Yann
Erik De Lanlay's cutback from just six yards.

Lansbury was desperately unlucky not to kill the contest three minutes from
time when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - whose hat-trick destroyed Iceland on
Thursday - danced past Stefan Strandberg and stroked the ball across for the
Arsenal midfielder, whose sliding finish smashed against the underside of the
crossbar.

There was some last-ditch defending in the closing moments as Norway poured
forward but England kept them out.

Under-21 results

San Marino 0-8 Germany

Scotland 2-2 Austria

Finland 0-1 Sweden

Estonia 0-1 Croatia

Azerbaijan 2-2 Belgium

Norway 1-2 England