Arsenal 20yo scores solo goal in Nations League match

Arsenal summer signing James Scanlon celebrated his 20th birthday earlier in the international break, meaning Thursday’s Gibraltar game against Malta was the first of his new decade.

Gibraltar had begun the international break with a pair of 0-0 draws, the first in a friendly match against Sao Tome and Principe, and the second in a Nations League fixture against Andorra.

Scanlon played 45 minutes as a substitute in the friendly, with Gibraltar making six half-time changes on that occasion, before playing 78 minutes in the Andorra match.

Thursday was Scanlon’s first full 90 minutes of the break, and he made it count by scoring his team’s first goal.

With Gibraltar 1-0 down in the 61st minute, Scanlon picked up a loose ball in line with the centre-circle. He raced past two attempted challenges before firing a shot at goal, with a deflection helping the ball to loop into the net.

Though the finish might not have been the cleanest, the run to make the opportunity was certainly impressive.

After two draws, Gibraltar sit second in their League D group, but all three teams in the group are guaranteed promotion as the Nations League prepares to restructure into just three divisions.

Scanlon has been vital to many of Gibraltar’s recent positive results, scoring twice in a 4-0 win over the British Virgin Islands in June, scoring an equaliser in a 4-1 win over the Cayman Islands days later, and now netting another equaliser in a Nations League game.

As for his time with Arsenal so far, the youngster has two goals in four games for the u21s.

But Scanlon still has one more game to play with Gibraltar before his attentions can return to his club football, with the side facing Liechtenstein in another friendly on Monday.