Hugo Ekitike’s hat-trick marked the return of Lee Carsley as England Under-21 coach, as France defeated a 10-man team 5-3 at the Lorient.
James McAtee scored a quick opener, but England’s lead was temporary, with Quentin Merlin and Ekitique’s goals turning things around.
Harvey Elliott has leveled, but Ekitike, who has 13 goals for Bundesliga Club Eintracht Frankfurt this season, scored two more before Liam Delap’s header was 4-3.
However, after Elliott blew a penalty at the bar, Rayan Cherki, who had two assists, joined the act himself to seal the victory.
A bad night for visitors concluded when Omari Hutchinson was out of the bench and showed him a straight red card for Tiano Barry’s dangerous tackle.
England hit the lead just 90 seconds later thanks to a well-worked set-piece routine. Elliott’s corner was flicked by Dellup, and the unmarked McKatye was suitable for breaking the house from close range.
However, England’s lead was short-lived and they took a nap from the restart as the hosts were leveled to four minutes. Cherki delved into the pass for the first time exactly into a surge of left back Merlin, which held back the marker and finished in the far corner.
Image: Elliot Anderson looks discouraged after losing in Lorient
It was 2-1 to the hosts three minutes later as Lyon’s Cherki continued his fantastic creative display with a perfect pass on the defense of one inch.
Ekitike went 3-1 in the 35th minute after Wilson O’Dobert smashed the ball across the box’s face and smashed the ball.
England’s volatile defense was violated again in the second half as Ekitike claimed a hat-trick on another tap-in.
However, Delap headed out from six yards after an hour and when Lewis was fouled in the area they had the opportunity to level out. However, Elliott’s penalty was well above the bar.
Cherki completed the score with 14 minutes left on a shot through Beadle’s leg before Hutchinson saw the red in five minutes.
