Fulham's Matthew Briggs made his debut for England's U21 team on Thursday evening as Stuart Pearce's side recorded an emphatic 6-0 victory over Azerbaijan in the opening match of their 2013 UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign.
Briggs played the full match at Vicarage Road as goals from Henri Lansbury (2), Craig Dawson (2), Jordan Henderson and Martyn Waghorn provided Stuart Pearce’s side with the perfect start.
Fulham Academy graduate Briggs was part of Pearce's new-look squad that gathered in Hertfordshire four days earlier, with eleven of the 22-man group new to the U21 level.
Following Thursday night's win Briggs and company now head to Barnsley for a friendly with Israel on Monday night to build on the work done this week. Next up in qualifying is a tough test on the road – an away double-header next month in Iceland and Norway.