Tottenham Hotspur attacker Mathys Tel came off the bench to score the winning goal as France Under-21s secured qualification for next summer’s European Championship with a 3-2 victory over Luxembourg.
The Spurs forward was introduced during a dramatic second half in Orleans, with France initially in complete control after Steve Ngoura scored twice inside the opening 25 minutes.
That advantage disappeared after Joane Gadou was shown a straight red card shortly after half-time. Luxembourg took full advantage of the extra man, with Ivan Englaro scoring twice to bring the visitors level and leave France facing a nervous finish.
Tel, however, had the final say.
With 14 minutes remaining, the Spurs forward rose at the far post to meet Saimon Bouabré’s corner and powered a diving header beyond the Luxembourg goalkeeper. It was his fifth goal in qualifying and proved enough to give France all three points.
The victory also means France have won Group C and booked their place at the 2027 European Under-21 Championship finals in Albania and Serbia with one qualifying match still to play.
It was another encouraging international window for Tel, who had already scored in France’s 1-1 draw with Iceland last week. He has now found the net twice during this break.
Tel’s latest goal also continues a productive spell for Tottenham’s young players on international duty. Archie Gray and Mateus Fernandes have already helped England and Portugal respectively secure their places at next year’s Under-21 Euros.
For Tel, the challenge now will be to take that confidence back to club football and turn his international form into regular contributions for Spurs.
