Video: Extended highlights of England U21s 5-0 win over Iceland including Gardner’s goals

Written by Dan on November 12, 2011

You may well have already seen this, but on the off chance you’ve been off the grid, as I have, in the last 24 hours or so, here’s the extended highlights of England’s 5-0 win over Iceland in the 2013 European U21 Championships qualifier in Colchester.

Nathan Delfouneso was in the starting eleven, but left the pitch with the game barely 10 minutes old after pulling up chasing a ball into the box. It didn’t look like anything major so hopefully there’s nothing to be concerned about. Nathan Baker wasn’t included in the 18-man squad due to injury.

Gary Gardner, who came on as substitute for the last half hour, makes his first appearance at the 3:49 mark with a delightful cross-field diagonal ball to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Actually, it was quite reminiscent of Barry Bannan’s ball to Mark Albrighton at Craven Cottage, only without the net rippling on this occasion.

You can find our Gary’s first goal at 5:14, a brilliant free kick from more than 25 yards out, whipped in with pace and accuracy to the top corner on the wall side of the goal. Practically unsaveable.

His second goal came from a short corner routine in injury time; teed up by Oxlade-Chamberlain, with Gardner doing very well to control the ball as it bobbled up before sending in a low drive to the far corner.

This was only Gardner’s third appearance for the Under-21s and he’s now got two goals to his name.