On Friday the 18 year old Aaron Ramsey scored a goal worthy of winning any match as Wales U21s managed to pull off an impressive home win at the Liberty Stadium against a well drilled and talented Italian side. Arsenal’s young Welshman was named the Man of the Match after a very good performance capped by a goal of astonishing quality.

Rescieving the ball with his back to goal 30 yards out, he juggled before flicking the ball with his heel towards Simon Church. The Italian defender read the situation but could only head back to the onrushing Aaron Ramsey who took the ball expertly on his knee before volleying into the corner of the net leaving the goalkeeper no chance. Quiet in the 1st half, he grew into the match as he started to be given a free role in the centre of the pitch rather than out wide and should now be guaranteed a starting place for the senior side against Russia on Wednesday.

Robin Van Persie was the next Gunner to strike for his nation, and despite the strike not quite being on the same level as Ramseys effort it was a good finish by the Dutchman. Recieving the ball from a powerful cross by Elia Arsenal’s number 11 did excellently to control the ball before turning it high into the net on the half volley to double Holland’s lead.

The third Arsenal player to grab the headlines for his goalscoring exploits this week was Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner with another goal of real quality. A deep, inswinging cross from the left hand side was taken down by Bendtner on his chest first time, shrugging off his marker in the process before instinctively striking with his weaker left foot into the roff of the net on the half volley.

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Meanwhile there was still some action in red and white over the weekend, with Steve Bould’s brilliant Academy side notching up another win to their name as they start the season showing the same form that won the previous generation of players a double last year. The opposition were Birmingham City whose reserves were thrashed by their Arsenal counterparts earlier in the week. The score was closer on this occasion but Arsenal still came out on top with a 3-1 victory, England Youth Internationals Benik Afobe, Luke Freeman and Chuks Aneke all on target before Birmingham’s consolation goal. You can read a more in-depth report over at Arsenal Youth – http://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/u18s-report-birmingham-1-arsenal-3/

Yet in a 45 minute display of shocking concentration and errors I would struggle to classify as “only” sloppy, England managed to chose to destroy the reputation of it being a battle between equals and instead seemingly gift the game to the surprised but willing Dutch, only to bravely fight back in the following half with a show of what the real England can do.

Of course credit can be given to Holland in the opening half of football, with some stunning interchanging of position  and excellent technical possession play – the hallmarks, then, of a Dutch side from almost any era. The way they got their two goal lead at the break though, was entirely down to the men in white. First Rio Ferdinand inexplicably decided to give the ball to Dirk Kuyt clear on goal, the Liverpool man going past Rob Green twice before squeezing the ball past the despairing lunge of John terry on the goal line to give the Dutch an early lead.

Not content with gifting them a one goal cushion into the break, England struck again, this time Man City signing Gareth Barry deciding to set Holland on their way with a fantastic through ball for Arjen Robben and even though Green made a good save at first, Barry had decided not to bother to pick up the onrushing Van Der Vaart who coolly slotted home.

That’s not to say that England didn’t have their own opportinities going forward, but with the Dutch cruelly failing to return the favour and play one of our strikers through on goal we never looked like scoring before the break. The best chance of the half fell to Lampard who drove into the keepers legs from a tight angle, while Barry and Rooney went close from further out. Meanwhile the attacking triumvirate of Van Persie, Robben and Kuyt went close for Holland, the latter two being prevented by Rob Green in a good display from the goalkeeper.

No doubt Capello had a few things to say at half time.

If he did then they had exactly the right effect as England battled back to earn a draw in a very promising second half showing. It took just four minutes of Defoe being on the pitch to halve the deficit, Lampards hopeful lob controlled perfectly by Defoe whose pace took him through on goal, a smart finish from the Spurs striker. Defoe’s speed and movement was what England had lacked in the first half and he got in behind the defence again, only to see his cross shot cleared off the line with Rooney lurking.

Having taken off the most dangerous of their attacking players, Holland never looked as incisive going forward and England were allowed to push up and gain the upper hand on possession. Defoe had a header go over from Milner’s cross and then Carlton Cole, who was impressive in his cameo role, stuck just wide after good skill from the West Ham forward. England finally got the break through just after that Cole effort, good work from Milner before his ball across the 6 yard area was met by the onrushing Jermaine Defoe for his second of the night and the 2 goal deficit had been recovered.

If only England hadn’t given themselves the mountain to climb in the first place…