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Published 05 November 2024 2 min read
England Para Teams

Report: England Partially Sighted 3-0 Türkiye

Written by:

Adam Drury

A Douglas Pratt brace and Josh Pugh strike get Para Lions' European Championship campaign off to a winning start

Read more: England's Para teams

England opened up their Partially Sighted European Championship campaign with a 3-0 win over Türkiye.

A brace from Douglas Pratt either side of a Josh Pugh strike ensured that the Para Lions got their competition off to the best possible start against the hosts.

England nearly got off to the perfect start immediately, Pratt forcing a super save from the goalkeeper within 15 seconds of kick-off.

But it didn’t take Pratt long to get off the mark for the tournament as he converted into the roof of the net from a pull-back just 50 seconds later, giving his side a 1-0 lead.

The Para Lions had the better of the remainder of the first half, which was punctuated by a problem for Adam Lione, who was carried off after suffering a leg injury.

John Tapia-Owens’ side continued the second period in a similar vein, Andy Cahill going close with an effort with 15 minutes remaining.

It wasn’t long before they had reward for their dominance, Pugh firing home with his left foot after a Paul McHugh shot was saved.

And after a period of Türkiye pressure, England soon sealed the victory.

Pratt was the man again, turning away from his defender and shooting into the top corner for a superb solo goal.

A series of blocks and saves preserved the clean sheet as a winning start to the competition was confirmed.

The Para Lions next play Italy tomorrow (12pm GMT).

England starting team: Jack Walsh, Harry MacDonald, John McDougall, Douglas Pratt, Adam Lione

Substitutes: Paul McHugh, Josh Pugh, Andy Cahill, Jacob Heaseman, Liam Spinks, Bailey Pack, Myles Chadwick

Goals: Pratt x2, Pugh

Head Coach: John Tapia-Owens