Parrett gets England going

Last year's runners-up England made a winning start to the 2009/10 UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round, Dean Parrett's first-half free-kick proving enough to defeat the Republic of Ireland.

The only goal of the opening Group 3 game arrived in the 37th minute in Kyiv after Ireland's John Dunleavy had halted an incisive Phil Jones run by bringing down the Blackburn Rovers FC defender. Parrett inflicted further punishment with the resulting free-kick, the Tottenham Hotspur FC midfielder finding the top corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Ireland came back strongly after half-time, Robert Brady narrowly missing the target with a fine shot before Conor Hourihane's effort from just outside the penalty area came back off the crossbar. Brady then volleyed just wide and, with Ireland pressing forward, Andros Townsend almost capitalised on a defensive error in added time but was denied by the post. Yet England had already done enough and next face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday, when Ireland take on hosts Ukraine.