England U21s break Spain hearts once again

England booked their place in the European U21 Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Spain.

The Young Lions benefitted from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty. Captain James McAtee then 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.

Here’s how England made it through to the semi-finals:

Luke Baker25 June 2025 14:47

Early Netherlands team news

For the Dutch, they will be without Ruben van Bommel – son of legendary midfielder Mark – after his sending off against Portugal.

Devyne Rensch and Kenneth Taylor are also suspended after they picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament on Saturday.

Goalscorer Ernest Poku, who came off the bench against Portugal, could be rewarded with a start.

Predicted Netherlands XI: Roefs; Kasanwirjo, Van den Berg, Hato, Maatsen; Flamingo, Valente, Meijer; Manhoef, Van Bergen, Poku

Luke Baker25 June 2025 14:37

Early England team news

England will be without Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton, who picked up a second yellow card of the tournament against Spain and will therefore be suspended for the semi-final.

Elliot Anderson could be a notable returnee to the side in midfield, after looking clearly frustrated by his demotion to the bench last time out.

Predicted England XI: Beadle; Hinshelwood, Quansah, Cresswell, Livramento; Scott, Anderson; Elliott, McAtee, Hutchinson; Stansfield

Luke Baker25 June 2025 14:34

How to watch England v Netherlands

The match will kick off at 5pm BST on Wednesday, 25 June in Bratislava, Slovakia.

It will take place at the at the Tehelne Pole stadium, which is home to local side SK Slovan Bratislava and has a capacity of around 22,500.

Viewers in the UK can watch the match for free on Channel 4, with coverage starting at 4:40pm. Subscribers can also stream the action online via Channel 4 On Demand.

Luke Baker25 June 2025 14:32

Everything you need to know about England U21s v Netherlands U21s

It’s full steam ahead for the England U21s in their European Championship title defence as they face the Netherlands in a massive semi-final clash.

After an underwhelming group stage, Lee Carsley’s side turned things up a gear to overcome Spain in a repeat of their 2023 final triumph, with goals from James McAtee, Harvey Elliott and Elliot Anderson guiding the Young Lions to a 3-1 win in the last eight.

They now face a Netherlands side on a high after shocking Portugal in the quarter-finals, with the Dutch edging a late 1-0 win thanks to an Ernest Poku strike, despite going a man down in the first half.

Here’s everything you need to know about the match:

Luke Baker25 June 2025 14:30

England U21s bid for Euros final

A very good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the first U21 European Championship semi-final. After sweeping aside Spain impressively, Lee Carsley’s England are two games away from defending their continental crown – though Netherlands will provide a tricky test in the last four.

Harry Latham-Coyle25 June 2025 09:56