Sierra Leone native Moses Sesay scored on his England’s under-18 men’s debut as they came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against Czechia in their first match of the calendar year.
The Young Lions fell behind in the first half of the international fixture held at Estadio de Sao Miguel. Just before halftime, Filip Ruzicka scored for Czechia, giving them the lead. The FC Viktoria Plzen forward’s shot deflected off a defender, sending goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff the wrong way and finding the back of the net.
However, Liam Bramley’s side fought back strongly in the second half. After seeing an initial effort cleared off the line, Moses Sesay marked his debut with a goal, levelling the score with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick just after the halftime mark, making it 1-1 in the 49th minute.
England took the lead with 75 minutes on the clock when they were awarded a penalty. Baylee Dipepa, Sesay’s club teammate, confidently stepped up to take the spot-kick and successfully converted it from 12 yards after coming off the bench, putting the Young Lions ahead 2-1.
Yet, there was one final twist in the match. In the 89th minute, Czechia equalized when Pavlo Simon pounced on a rebound after Whatmuff made an initial save. The match ended in a 2-2 draw in Portugal.
Some #YoungLions debut 🚲😮💨#SaintsFCU21s' Moses Sesay scored in style on his first @England U18s start, with Baylee Dipepa also on target 👏 pic.twitter.com/u9OOFseirS
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) March 21, 2025
