Jack Stephens had a grin as wide as The Solent. Standing in the tunnel of St Mary’s, the Southampton defender had just enjoyed the best night of his fledgling career.
A start for England’s Under 21s on home turf, a composed performance against difficult opponents from Italy and, above all, a last minute goal to win a frantic friendly that extended the Young Lions’ unbeaten run to 15 games and ensured preparations for next summer's adventure in Poland at Euro 2017 began smoothly.
At the same time, though, Stephens could not help feeling lucky. It was a year ago, after all, that his first start for England ended in calamity when he was sent-off during a qualifier in Bosnia for two bookable offences.