Around the U21 camps: Saturday

Group A
England
There was no hiding Stuart Pearce's disappointment after the 3-1 defeat by Norway knocked out England with a game still to play. The manager feels his players failed to produce anywhere near their best, saying: "They've got more quality than that and they didn't deliver that performance. When we take to the field against Israel we will do everything we can to win the match."

The returns of Wilfried Zaha from injury and Thomas Ince and Danny Rose from suspension did not have the desired effect with the five changes made to England's starting XI failing to kick-start their campaign.

Ince echoed his manager's view that the display was "not acceptable". He said: "We were disappointing against Italy and we were disappointing again tonight. It's hard to believe we're out but we have to look back at the mistakes we've made. The first half, we dominated play, but we can't afford to give away silly goals like that."

Israel
It was a difficult evening for a ten-man Israel side, who suffered a 4-0 defeat by Italy and now have a mountain to climb to qualify from Group A. Coach Guy Luzon was proud of his side despite the loss. "Israel can't play against Italy with ten players," he said. "I have no complaints with my players – each and every one of them gave 100% on the pitch."

For Israel defender Eliazer Dasa it was a night to forget but there were still positives to be taken from the game. "It's a very good experience to play against such great players," he said, though team-mate Israel Zaguri was less philosophical, admitting that "the score hurts".

Italy
Italy became the first team to book a place in the semi-finals with their victory over Israel, leaving coach Devis Mangia to ponder which team he would rather face from Group B. "At this stage I'm not sure who I would be happier to meet – Spain, Germany or the Netherlands," he said.

There was also good news on the injury front with fears about the fitness of Lorenzo Insigne, who was withdrawn five minutes before the break, allayed by Mangia after the game. "At the first check, Lorenzo Insigne seems to have no fracture and the injury might not be as bad as we first thought," said the coach. Italy will take on Norway in their final Group A game knowing a point would see them finish top of the section.

Norway
Norway's players were singing loudly in their dressing room after the victory over England and coach Tor Ole Skullerud struggled to contain his delight too after a result he hailed as "very important for Norwegian football".

Magnus Eikrem (R) celebrates scoring Norway's third©Sportsfile

Skullerud also made a point of highlighting how his team's relaxation time on one of Tel Aviv's golden beaches had been a key element in building a team spirit. "We tried our best to plan some spare time and we've had that on the beach," he said. "Of course we can't stay on the beach all the time but they enjoyed it, especially the surfing, which is important for our team spirit."

Vegar Hedenstad missed the game through suspension after his red card against Israel but will be available to face Italy. The only downside for Norway was an injury to Fredrik Semb Berge, scorer of the opening goal, who was withdrawn on 57 minutes, while Magnus Eikrem had to come off with 22 minutes remaining after suffering cramp in the humid conditions.

Group B
Germany
The day began with confirmation that striker Peniel Mlapa had been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury. "Peniel is a great guy, he will cope with it just fine", his VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach team-mate Tony Jantschke said. "It's a blow for us, but life will go on."

While there was time to relax, preparations for the match against Spain on Sunday are in full swing. Coach Rainer Adrion said his team would not take a defensive approach, with no man-marking strategy. "We have analysed Spain and have huge respect for them," he added. "If we manage to stop their attacks and switch to attack immediately, then Spain are vulnerable."

The Netherlands in training©Sportsfile

Netherlands
The Jong Oranje trained at Teddy Stadium and there were no absentees after Georginio Wijnaldum overcame the back complaint that led to his substitution against Germany on Thursday. The squad have taken up temporary residence in Jerusalem, staying in the city on the eve of the match with Russia before heading back to their Tel Aviv base after Sunday's game.

Cor Pot spoke to journalists about the number of players in his squad who have returned from the senior team to take part in this tournament. "This is football, not kindergarten," replied the coach when it was suggested the policy was unfair on those who had helped the team qualify. Left-back Daley Blind added: "All the players understand that this is the way it is."

Russia
There was a noticeably upbeat tone to Nikolai Pisarev's pre-match press conference on the day that Alan Dzagoev and Fedor Smolov returned to the U21 fold from the senior Russia squad. The coach insisted both players would blend seamlessly into the group and were going to train with their team-mates for the first time after arriving from Portugal today, along with senior supremo Fabio Capello.

Russia have no new injury worries as they try to invigorate their campaign against a buoyant Netherlands side, of whom Pisarev said: "We know them very well as they are part of an entire system in their country. They all play in a similar way and there are the same demands on the players in each position. There are a lot of players who weren't involved in qualifying and I'm surprised to see the team have got even better."

Spain coach Julen Lopetegui in Netanya©Sportsfile

Spain
Spain coach Julen Lopetegui sang the praises of his team's next opponents, Germany, admitting he was impressed by their second-half display against the Netherlands. "Germany play at the very highest level and their players have a lot of quality," he added.

Lopetegui had earlier said goodbye to the injured Sergio Canales, who headed for home shortly before his team-mates began their practice session at the Netanya Municipal Stadium on Saturday. With it the Valencia CF midfielder bade farewell to U21 football altogether as he will not be available for the next edition.

If it was a sad day for Canales, for back-up goalkeeper Diego Mariño there was something to celebrate as he watched from the team hotel in Herzliya as his club side, Villarreal CF, won promotion back to Spain's top flight.