Stuart Pearce's England were eliminated from the European Under-21 Championship on Saturday evening following a 3-1 defeat to Norway.

The Three Lions went into the game on the back of a 1-0 loss to Italy three days earlier.

Pearce's men got off to the worst possible start as first-half strikes from Semb Berge and Jo Inge Berget gave the Scandinavians a two-goal lead at the break.

Magnus Eikrem extended the deficit to three early in the second period and although Craig Dawson netted from the penalty spot just before the hour mark, England were comfortably beaten.

Below, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the game to see if the result was reflective of the action in Petah Tikva.

Match statistics:

England:
Shots 18
On target 8
Possession 70%
Corners 11
Fouls 10

Norway:
Shots 16
On target 7
Possession 30%
Corners 3
Fouls 17

Was the result fair?

Yes, England did not defend to a standard befitting the occasion and they were not creative enough going forward. Meanwhile, Norway were solid, well organised and clinical in front of goal.

England's performance

England actually started very brightly. They passed the ball about confidently in the opening 10 minutes, as Danny Rose and Thomas Ince both went close early on. Who knows? If they had taken the lead, perhaps the rest of the game would have been very different. However, as it panned out, Berge's early strike left the Three Lions shell-shocked and they never really recovered. Yes, they continued to dominate possession, but they lacked ideas and penetration.

Norway's performance

Going forward, Norway were direct and very effective. Defensively, they deliberately did not close England down in non-dangerous areas of the pitch, which enabled them to preserve energy on what was a very hot day. Instead, they put lots of men behind the ball, starving England of space in the final third.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Magnus Eikrem: The 22-year-old former Manchester United midfielder was the star of the show. He looked sharp on the ball, took his goal very well and mucked in at the back with a committed and hard-working shift.

Biggest gaffe

The referee allowed there to be a farcical five-minute delay during the second half as Thomas Rogne was treated for an innocuous injury. The Celtic defender, who suffered his 'wounds' during an aerial battle with Connor Wickham, sat on the ground until he was collected by the medics on their motorised stretcher. After a brief ride on the injury fun bus, Rogne decided that he was okay and jogged back into the action.

Referee's performance

The officials have two big calls to make. The first, which was made by Sergei Boiko's assistant, was proven correct. With the score at 2-0, Steven Caulker rightly had a headed goal ruled out for offside. However, the second key decision, which resulted in a penalty kick for England, was less clear cut. Berge's arms made marginal contact with Dawson and Boiko pointed to the spot. It was perhaps a little soft but, by the letter of the law and all that...

What next?

England: The Three Lions cannot progress to the knockout stages, but they must play for pride when they face hosts Israel in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Norway: It's next stop Tel Aviv for Norway, who play Italy on Tuesday. A draw should be enough to secure their place in the semi-finals.

Written by
Robert Summerscales