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Cook captain as England win Toulon Tournament

Lewis Cook captained England under-21s to their third successive Toulon Tournament victory this evening.

The Young Lions defeated Mexico 2-1, with Cook leading the team out in France. Cherries ‘keeper Aaron Ramsdale was also in the squad for the fixture and featured on the bench. 

Aidy Boothroyd’s side were dealt an early blow as Mexico took the lead just two minutes in through midfielder Roberto Alvarado. 

However, with just over half-an-hour gone, England found a reply through Middlesbrough’s Dael Fry, the youngster capitalising on a goalkeeping error to draw his side level. 

Moments later and the Young Lions were in front, this time through Kieran Dowell, who connected with an Eddie Nketiah cross as England took their lead into the break. 

And after the interval, Tammy Abraham came closest to scoring after hitting the woodwork, but neither team could find the back of the net and Boothroyd’s side were crowned winners of the Toulon Tournament. 

Following the victory, Cook, as captain, went up to lift the trophy, rounding off a fortnight that saw him make five appearances for the Young Lions and crowned the tournament's second best player behind Diego Lainez. 

Aaron Ramsdale also featured during the competition, playing 90 minutes between the sticks in a 4-0 group stage win over Qatar.