We deserve it so much – Harvey Elliott hails England's quarter-final victory
The Young Lions benefited from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty before captain James McAtee netted a 10th minute opener, Elliott scored five minutes later and substitute Elliot Anderson added a penalty in second-half stoppage time.
Javi Guerra's 39th-minute penalty denied a clean sheet for the defending champions, but it was nevertheless a splendid night for Lee Carsley's men, who face the Netherlands in the final four on Wednesday.
What a win. What a performance.
OUR #YOUNGLIONS ARE INTO THE #U21EURO SEMI-FINALS! 👏 pic.twitter.com/NhfXGuUvtS
— England (@England) June 21, 2025
'Incredible. Lost for words, I think,' said Elliott. 'I said at the start of the game it was going to be very tough, they're going to play an incredible game against us, but I thought the way the lads handled it, handled the pressure, conceding a goal and being determined to keep on going, keep on fighting, we deserve it so much.
'Now it's kind of time to celebrate, but we need to think about the semis now. Celebrate, recover, rest, go again.'
Tyler Morton will miss the last-four clash through suspension after he was booked against Spain, while Napoli's Rafa Marin saw red before a post-match scuffle broke out between the sides.
Elliott added: 'It was always going to happen. I think it's just passion from both teams, it's just one of them. I was trying to calm everyone down, because at the end of the day we have everything to lose. They don't if they get sent off.
'We have to focus now, we can't get too carried away, we can't lose players for the semi-final.'
Manchester City midfielder McAtee was more subdued than his team-mate, adding: 'We're over the moon, but the focus is the semi-final now. We're happy about the win, but we need to switch focus.'
England boss Carsley was delighted by the way his men responded after nearly conceding a penalty in the early stages of the first half.
'We talked about getting a fast start and to give the penalty away after a minute, obviously then going to VAR – the lads showed a lot of character,' Carsley said.
Through to the semis! 💪 pic.twitter.com/EjZQBkXXiZ
— England (@England) June 21, 2025
'I thought the first half we were so good. I was saying before the game, I think the longer we can stay in, the more fluid we will become. Some really outstanding performances and they should be proud of themselves.'
England will now get some much-needed rest and a day off before turning to their semi-final tie.
Carsley added: 'The big thing is this can't be our final. This can't be our highlight of the competition, there's better nights to come.'
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