England Defeat Angola 1-0 in 2017 Toulon Tournament Opener

England opened their 2017 Toulon Tournament title defence in impressive fashion after defeating Angola 1-0 at the Stade de Lattre in Aubagne, France, on Monday to move two points clear at the summit of Group A.

Chelsea youngster Ike Ugbo was the hero for manager Neil Dewsnip's side as he rose early in the second half and headed in the only goal of the game to hand England the start they sought in France.

Angola were reluctant to roll over in their meeting with the defending champions and ended the clash as the pressing outfit, but England held on to take three points at the first time of asking:

Japan and Cuba got the pool phase off to a lacklustre start after drawing 1-1 earlier on Monday, giving the Three Lions the lift they needed to swiftly take a hold of Group A and improve their chances of advancing.

Dewsnip's side may not have known a lot about what to expect from Angola coming into this contest, and that apprehensiveness was evident in England's approach as they looked to unleash Ugbo up front.

That being said, the Three Lions would likely have been eyeing this as the group fixture in which they had the best opportunity of boosting their goal difference, which was far from the case as play progressed.

Angola weathered an early storm of chances before finding their groove in counter-attacking, and it was Dewsnip's men who looked the more aggrieved with their inability to find a breakthrough approaching half-time.

While the attack was struggling to find top pace, Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall held firm at the back on his England debut, earning praise from club team-mate Ryan Yates during the display:

Worrall was playing his part in moving the ball forward on occasion and showed it was no error to hand him the captaincy despite his lack of international experience, keeping Angola at bay throughout the opening period.

England's breakthrough finally came not long after the restart, and after netting 23 times for the Blues' under-23s this season, fan account Chelsea Youth lauded Ugbo's hot streak continuing on the Toulon stage:

Reece James of Chelsea came close to nodding in a second for England from a corner in the 68th minute, but Angola goalkeeper Josue was equal to the effort and smartly tipped it over the bar.

Ugbo wouldn't get his chance to notch a second of the match, either, and was replaced by Sheffield Wednesday youngster George Hirst on the 76-minute mark.

Leeds United starlet Ronaldo Vieira also showed flashes of his brilliance and really came to life in the second period, although even he was unable to inspire his comrades to a second.

The three points will have been England's only priority, and although Angola look capable of challenging more than may have been expected of them, the Three Lions will be seeking improvements ahead of meetings with Japan and Cuba.