Rampant England Under-21s on the brink of Toulon Tournament final

England Under-21s are on the brink of a place in the final of the Toulon Tournament after thrashing Paraguay Under-23s by four goals to nil.

The Young Lions' third win of the competition puts them clear at the top of Group B with a goal difference of +11, with one match remaining.

© Getty Images

The South Americans were the first to threaten as Sergio Diaz found space in the box with two minutes on the clock, but he could only direct his effort straight at Jordan Pickford.

It took England a while to find their rhythm, although they came close through Nathan Redmond with half an hour played, the Norwich City man shooting narrowly wide after cutting inside the box.

The Young Lions took the lead moments later following good link-up play between Duncan Watmore and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the latter picking out Lewis Baker, who curled home the opening goal from the edge of the area.

The second half was a one-sided affair as England picked up where they left off before the break, doubling their lead in the 45th minute through Loftus-Cheek.

© Getty Images

It was a fruitful evening for the Chelsea starlet, who claimed his second of the match in the 59th minute, lobbing past the Paraguay goalkeeper from close range after latching onto Watmore's through-ball.

Redmond rounded off the scoring with an impressive solo strike in the 65th minute to add some gloss to the scoreline and help Gareth Southgate's side add to their already-significant goal difference in Group B.

The Young Lions face Japan in their final group match, a game they can afford to lose heavily and still progress to the final.