England Under-20s striker Dominic Solanke has insisted that his side are driven on by the disappointment of past experiences as they prepare to face Venezuela in the World Cup final on Sunday.
The Young Lions beat their Italian counterparts 3-1 on Thursday afternoon to make it through to the final, becoming the first England side to make it that far at a major finals since the famous 1966 senior side.
Solanke, who will join Liverpool from Chelsea for a fee of £3m next month, was a part of the England Under-19s side that lost 2-1 to Italy in the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship last year and is now aiming to use that pain to inspire him this time around.
"It's our time," he told reporters. "Everyone will be rooting for us back home so hopefully we can make them proud. The determination we have is what drives us on. We know that even if we're losing we can bring it back.
"The disappointment we had in the U-19 Euros last year, we know that feeling, so we want to go and win this time. There have been no special words from the manager, he's just told us to focus on the next game, as he always does.
"There's one more game that we need to go and win and if we do it right we'll be champions. We've seen some of Venezuela's games and we know what a good team they are. It's down to the last two now, so you're never going to have an easy final."
Solanke netted twice in the last round to take his tally for the tournament to four, leaving him one behind Italy's Riccardo Orsolini in the race to claim the Golden Shoe.
Daniel Lewis
