Tottenham’s Alfie Devine starred as England reached the knockout stage of the Underneath-20 World Cup after a 3-2 win over Uruguay.

Devine — whom The Athletic is monitoring as a part of the sequence My Soccer Journey: The Street to 2026 — arrange Chelsea loanee Bashir Humphreys’ Twenty second-minute opener in La Plata, Argentina, earlier than lashing a second himself in first-half stoppage time.

Franco Gonzalez halved the deficit for Uruguay within the forty ninth minute however Leeds United’s Darko Gyabi restored England’s benefit in added time.

Although Matias Abaldo struck once more for Uruguay simply earlier than the full-time whistle, that proved too little, too late.

“It’s large for us to win,” Devine mentioned after the sport. “We knew the group wouldn’t be on our facet and I believe everybody dug actually deep and I believe we used it as a bonus to encourage us much more. Everybody did fantastically.

“(The gang) motivated us extra. Taking part in in entrance of a crowd like this, you already know you’re going to get it. I believe we handled it rather well.”

Ian Foster’s facet, who final performed on the event once they received it in 2017, high Group E and have reached the final 16 with a sport to spare.

England will play Iraq of their closing group sport on Sunday.

The facet that finishes high in Group E is about to face the second-place facet in Group D — presently Brazil — on Could 31.

Devine: ‘World Cup 2026? It’s the ‘why not?’ issue’

Devine was an academy participant at Liverpool who was launched when he was 11, earlier than becoming a member of Wigan Athletic.

After impressing for the under-23s, he was bought to Tottenham Hotspur for £300,000 in July 2020 when Wigan went into administration.

Capped for England’s under-16s and under-19s, Jose Mourinho gave Devine his senior debut for Spurs within the third spherical of the FA Cup towards Marine in January 2021. He scored inside minutes.

“Each time I watch again the Marine objective, it nonetheless feels a bit bizarre,” he advised The Athletic. “For the week after, I couldn’t consider it. I didn’t suppose I’d come on at half-time. I used to be very nervous, I’ll admit that.

“I used to be in yr seven after I was launched by Liverpool. The toughest half was worrying about what my mates had been going to say. Feeling embarrassed about it while you shouldn’t. I didn’t wish to go to highschool as a result of folks would ask, ‘Why aren’t you at Liverpool anymore?’. You don’t wish to say you bought launched. However it’s not likely a nasty factor, plenty of high professionals have been launched from golf equipment at an early age.”

“Everybody’s dream is to turn into a Premier League participant and that’s what I’m wanting ahead to now. As soon as I’ve achieved that, that’s when you may take a look at different stuff.

“I positively take into consideration England. My first sport was with the under-16s towards Scotland… pulling on that shirt, the sensation you get is superb.”

And World Cup 2026? “It’s the ‘why not?’ issue. You are taking on daily basis because it comes, stuff like that you just sit up for, however the bits in between, in the event you don’t get these proper, you’ll by no means obtain it.”

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My Soccer Journey: The Street to 2026

My Soccer Journey: The Street to 2026 is a sequence following among the most enjoyable younger footballers on this planet throughout a key second of their careers.

It’s going to comply with the highs, the setbacks, and the exhausting work they and their golf equipment are placing in, and present how completely different their journeys are as they dream of creating it to the 2026 World Cup.

Learn extra beneath in regards to the highly-rated children — recognized for us with the assistance of the scouts who work for Soccer Supervisor — as they work in direction of the Holy Grail of a spot on the 2026 event in america, Canada and Mexico.

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Introducing My Soccer Journey – monitoring seven younger stars on the trail to the 2026 World Cup

(Picture: Getty Photographs)