Same old story as England U-21s dumped out of Euros

England 1 Czech Republic 2. If England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce's job is to prepare the nation's footballing talent for the realities of life in the senior squad, he has done just that this weekend. Dumped out of the European Under-21 Championship last night, England's youngsters got a taste of the major tournament disappointment that will inevitably come to define their senior national careers.

The Under-21s actually went one worse than their derided senior counterparts in South Africa, failing to make it beyond the group stages. Needing to beat the Czech Republic after draws with Spain and Ukraine, England appeared on course when Danny Welbeck nodded in Daniel Sturridge's cross to take the lead in the 76th minute. But a toe-poked equaliser in the 89th minute, followed by a second in extra time, left England 2-1 down and out of the competition.

"We are disappointed as a group as we felt after taking the lead we should have held on to it," said a dejected Stuart Pearce. "They didn't really cause us a problem all evening defensively but we switched off for a minute, it falls to their player, and it's 1-1. The second goal was neither here nor there."

Ironically, England played their best football on the night of their worst result in the tournament. In a bid to find some much-needed creativity, Pearce had dropped Jack Rodwell, Danny Rose and captain Michael Mancienne, with recent Manchester United signing Phil Jones handed the armband.

The result was a control in possession that had been lacking in England's first two matches. Bolton's Fabrice Muamba anchored the midfield with competence, creating the foundation for Chelsea's Sturridge to cause the Czechs problems with a lively first half performance. Their patience was rewarded with Welbeck's late header, before chaotic defending allowed Jan Chramosta to nick the ball past Derby goalkeeper Frankie Fielding and seal England's fate.

"It was probably the best performance of the tournament," Pearce said. "But perhaps us going home now was symptomatic of us not passing the ball well enough in the first two games. This is a culmination of a two-year period, not just a one-off. The players put their hearts and souls into it. And for one or two it's the end of the line at Under-21 level."

Daily Telegraph football correspondent Henry Winter was one of many pundits to see the Under-21s failure as symptomatic of a wider malaise in English football. "All the old flaws, the lack of invention and haplessness in possession, were seen again," he said. "Two stats told the sorry tale: England managed only two goals in 270 minutes of football and hit 61 unsuccessful long balls, more than any other side."

"The absent Jack Wilshere apart, England Under-21s possess nobody in the technical class of Spain's Thiago Alcantara, Juan Mata and Javi Martinez," he continued. "The future looks far from rosy in England's garden." ·