Lee Carsley's England reach Euro U21 semi-finals after overcoming Spain
ENGLAND BOOKED THEIR place in the European Under-21 Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Spain in Slovakia.
The Young Lions, who next face the Netherlands, benefited from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty.
Captain James McAtee opened the scoring in the 10th minute and Harvey Elliott netted his second goal of the tournament five minutes later.
Javi Guerra clawed a goal back for Spain with a 39th-minute penalty, but substitute Elliot Anderson's own spot-kick in second-half stoppage time assured Lee Carsley's men of their spot in the final four.
England got off to an unsteady start as Spain thought they won a penalty when Charlie Cresswell – looking like he was trying to get out of the way – was penalised with a handball by on-field referee Simone Sozza.
The Italian was called to the monitor by his VAR compatriot, and England breathed a sigh of relief when the call was overturned.
Advertisement
McAtee opened the scoring from an Alex Scott corner after a flick-on by Omari Hutchinson. Spain got a touch, but only in the direction of the alert England skipper, who turned home from close range.
Elliott doubled England's advantage five minutes later, tapping in the rebound after Spain goalkeeper Alejandro Iturbe spilled a save from Jarell Quansah's long-range effort.
England gifted Spain another chance from 12 yards, however, after losing the ball deep inside their own third, exacerbating the error when Quansah, who dangled a leg, caught Alberto Moleiro and Sozza immediately pointed to the spot.
Guerra stepped up and halved the deficit after coolly sending James Beadle the wrong way.
Some great work from Quansah and Hutchinson after the restart nearly set up Jay Stansfield, who saw his effort deflect over, shortly before Cresswell nodded a corner into the side-netting.
Beadle twice denied Guerra then gathered up a Mateo Joseph effort, while England were still in search of a first shot on target since Elliott's goal with 20 minutes remaining after Morton fired just wide.
Jack Hinshelwood should have extended England's lead but he mistimed a free header over the crossbar.
England hit Spain, who were searching for a late equaliser, on the counter when Iturbe was punished for bringing down Jonathan Rowe inside the penalty area, which Anderson slotted home to seal victory.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
Lee Carsley's England reach Euro U21 semi-finals after overcoming Spain
ENGLAND BOOKED THEIR place in the European Under-21 Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Spain in Slovakia. The Young Lions, who next face the Netherlands, benefited from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty. Captain James McAtee opened the scoring in the 10th minute and Harvey Elliott netted his second goal of the tournament five minutes later. Javi Guerra clawed a goal back for Spain with a 39th-minute penalty, but substitute Elliot Anderson's own spot-kick in second-half stoppage time assured Lee Carsley's men of their spot in the final four. England got off to an unsteady start as Spain thought they won a penalty when Charlie Cresswell – looking like he was trying to get out of the way – was penalised with a handball by on-field referee Simone Sozza. The Italian was called to the monitor by his VAR compatriot, and England breathed a sigh of relief when the call was overturned. Advertisement McAtee opened the scoring from an Alex Scott corner after a flick-on by Omari Hutchinson. Spain got a touch, but only in the direction of the alert England skipper, who turned home from close range. Elliott doubled England's advantage five minutes later, tapping in the rebound after Spain goalkeeper Alejandro Iturbe spilled a save from Jarell Quansah's long-range effort. England gifted Spain another chance from 12 yards, however, after losing the ball deep inside their own third, exacerbating the error when Quansah, who dangled a leg, caught Alberto Moleiro and Sozza immediately pointed to the spot. Guerra stepped up and halved the deficit after coolly sending James Beadle the wrong way. Some great work from Quansah and Hutchinson after the restart nearly set up Jay Stansfield, who saw his effort deflect over, shortly before Cresswell nodded a corner into the side-netting. Beadle twice denied Guerra then gathered up a Mateo Joseph effort, while England were still in search of a first shot on target since Elliott's goal with 20 minutes remaining after Morton fired just wide. Jack Hinshelwood should have extended England's lead but he mistimed a free header over the crossbar. England hit Spain, who were searching for a late equaliser, on the counter when Iturbe was punished for bringing down Jonathan Rowe inside the penalty area, which Anderson slotted home to seal victory.
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
Feyi-Waboso sees red as France beat England in unofficial Test
IMMANUEL FEYI-WABOSO was sent off on his return from injury as England's summer tour preparations were dealt a blow in a dramatic 26-24 defeat to a France XV at Twickenham. Neither nation was at full strength for the non-capped clash. England were without 13 players selected in the British and Irish Lions squad, while those involved in the Top 14 semi-finals were unavailable for the visitors. Feyi-Waboso was well in contention for the Lions tour to Australia until dislocating his shoulder in December. The Exeter winger could now also miss some of England's tour of Argentina and the United States next month should he be banned after catching Antoine Hastoy on the head, which was upgraded to a 20-minute red card on review. Advertisement Oscar Beard of England XV with Leo Berdeu of France. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'This is a good guy who just tries his heart out and has left the field today and it didn't go the way he wanted it to, so he's gutted in the changing room,' said England coach Steve Borthwick. 'Everyone will get around him and we'll find out about what the situation is in the next 24 hours.' England still looked set for victory as they led 24-12 heading into the final 10 minutes thanks to tries from Tom Willis, Alex Coles, Joe Carpenter and Alex Dombrandt. However, France rallied to win the game with the final kick of the match. Paul Mallez cut the deficit before Romain Taofifenua bulldozed over to tie the scores with the clock in the red. Hastoy kicked the conversion to secure victory in front of a crowd of just over 34,000. England will face Argentina, who beat the Lions 28-24 in Dublin on Friday, in a two-Test series in July before facing the USA in Washington DC. France travel to New Zealand for a three-Test series against the All Blacks. – © AFP 2025
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Chaos as England's U21s Euros quarter-final win over Spain ends in mass brawl as Ashley Cole is forced to step in
CHAOS erupted at the final whistle as England beat Spain 3-1 to set up an Euro U21 semi-final against Holland. The holders will battle the Dutch in Bratislava on Wednesday for a place in the European Championship final. 2 James McAtee led the way as England booked their place in the Euro U21s semis Credit: Getty 2 Harvey Elliott also scored in a 3-1 win over Spain Credit: Getty James McAtee and Harvey Elliott showed the precision of a Spanish archer to take the lead in a lightning quick start before Eliot Anderson wrapped things up with a late penalty. Despite handing their much-fancied opponents a lifeline before the break, England held firm in Tranava to roar on. But the match ended in chaos as players from both sides clashed in a touchline fracas, with former Leeds man Charlie Cresswell at the centre of things. Tempers spilled over as unsettling scenes of shirt-grabbing and shoving took centre stage. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL And it even needed Chelsea legend and England coach Ashley Cole to step in and break up the ruckus amid fears of a red card for a Young Lion. Six members of Lee Carsley's army headed to the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho, where Big Sam Allardyce won his only game in charge of England in 2016, with happy memories. Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Jarell Quansah, Alex Scott, Samuel Iling-Junior and Ronnie Edwards were all returning to the scene of their 2022 Under-19 Euro triumph with England. And it proved to be a happy hunting ground once again as they refused to relinquish their grip on the trophy. Most read in Football Only Quansah and Scott out of them started here as Carsley rang the changes after Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Germany. In came Tino Livramento for Iling-Junior, Tyler Morton replaced Elliot Anderson in midfield, captain James McAtee took over from Ethan Nwaneri. The fourth, and biggest eyebrow raiser, was the inclusion of Birmingham City's Jay Stansfield over Jonathan Rowe as Carsley opted for a more traditional No9 in attack for the first time this tournament. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Meanwhile, Leeds striker Mateo Joseph, whose father is cousins with ex-England star Emile Heskey, was the man tasked with leading the Spanish attack against the Three Lions. Though our boys had more than just him to worry. England u21s clash with Germany SUSPENDED as stadium plunged into semi-darkness and players taken off pitch In-demand Valencia midfield duo Javi Guerra and Diego Lopez and Las Palmas' Alberto Moleiro were the three matadors ordered to provide the magic for him. Lopez was straight into it, heading over before a minute had passed and then 30 seconds later his shot hit Charlie Cresswell's arm and the ref pointed to the spot. Fortunately, England survived as a VAR check led to the Italian official Simone Sozza overturning his decision. And Carsley's men roared back to turn a potential nightmare start into a dream one. Alex Scott's corner flicked off a defender's head and the Spaniards failed to deal with and allowed McAtee to pounce and drill home from eight yards. Moments later the Young Lions doubled their advantage when Quansah powered forward and thundered a strike towards goal. It was too much for Alejandro Iturbe, and Elliott reacted quickest to slot home after the keeper spilled it. Spain were stunned and struggled to threaten until they were gifted a way back into it. Scott's sloppiness allowed Moleiro to nick it, dart into the box before going down after colliding with Quansah's outstretched left leg. Guerra, after a lengthy delay, kept his cool to send James Beadle the wrong way to leave the game on a knife edge going into the break. England shot out the traps after the restart as Quansah found Omari Hutchinson on the edge of the box. The Ipswich winger's brilliant backheel set Stansfield free, but his strike was deflected over. Cresswell headed Elliot's corner into the side-netting but it was Beadle's heroics that kept their lead on the hour with a superb double save to deny Guerra. Spain were beginning to pile on the pressure as Cresswell threw his body in front of a stinger from Moleiro. But for all of their play and passing, they just could not find a way through as their hopes died right at the death when Beadle saved low down from Roberto Fernandez. Nottingham Forest ace Anderson then stepped up to the spot to fire home a penalty at the death, knocking the stuffing out of Spain for good. It was a display to make Sir Francis Drake proud. Now bring on the Dutch.
