England 2-1 Netherlands: Elliott double sends holders to final again

Harvey Elliott scored both goals for England as the holders saw off Netherlands 2-1 in the first UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final at the National Football Stadium in Bratislava.

Match in brief: Elliott leads England into final

England were in the ascendancy from the off with Omari Hutchinson a constant menace and Elliott calling goalkeeper Robin Roefs into action twice inside the opening 12 minutes. But the Jong Oranje held their own and steadied the ship for the remainder of the half, offering a threat on the counter with Ernest Poku's pace down the left.

The introduction of Wouter Goes at half-time by Michael Reiziger limited Hutchinson's influence and the Netherlands grew in confidence, as displayed by Ian Maatsen's fierce drive from 25 metres which James Beadle parried behind. But Lee Carsley's side then struck the first blow as Elliot Anderson slipped in Elliott and the Liverpool midfielder crashed his finish inside Roefs' near post.

Harvey Elliott drills England into the leadUEFA via Getty Images

Goalscoring substitutes have been a feature of this tournament and that trend continued with a spectacular Netherlands equaliser ten minutes later, Noah Ohio seizing on Charlie Cresswell's loose control before whipping a stunning finish around the unsuspecting Beadle from long range.

England would not be denied their place in the final though, Elliott surging through the centre past two Netherlands defenders and thumping in his 13th goal at U21 level from the edge of the area to settle the contest.

Noah Ohio is mobbed after his equaliserGetty Images

Player of the Match: Harvey Elliott (England)

"A permanent threat to Netherlands, scoring twice and getting involved in almost every chance England created."
UEFA Technical Observer Group

Simon Hart, match reporter

England are now just one step from retaining their title, and repeating their feat of 1982 and 1984, after this tightly contested semi-final in the heat of Bratislava, with Elliott the hero after two terrific finishes. Ohio scored an excellent goal too as the Dutch found another scoring substitute but it was Elliott's brilliance which eventually swung the tie England's way.

Reaction

Harvey Elliott, England midfielder: "It's amazing. It was a really tough game and to win is incredible. It's another final and we need to rest, recover and go again because it's not over yet. It was another amazing experience in really tough conditions once again – but the way the lads dug deep, we deserve this final. One last push and hopefully we can be champions again."

James Beadle, England goalkeeper: "It's unbelievable. We wanted to retain the title and we're on the way to doing it, so I'm buzzing. Going from 1-0 to 1-1 was a tough blow but we reacted really well and made it 2-1 with a brilliant goal from Harvey. Lee [Carsley] has done it before so he's got full confidence in himself and us that we can do it again. We're really looking forward to the final. We believe we can beat anyone."

Lee Carsley, England manager: "The team were outstanding. The way we started was really exciting and I was very disappointed to come in at half-time without scoring. In the second half we played with real resilience, had to defend the box and James made some good saves, but we stood up and got over the line. It shows how important the whole squad is; the subs who came on made a real impact. We can really look forward to the final."

Michael Reiziger, Netherlands coach: "We lost it because we found it quite hard to put pressure on their midfield. They were playing among each other and it was hard to get into duels. It was a bit better in the second half, and we were better when we had more possession, but it wasn't enough. I have a good feeling about the tournament overall. We didn't start well then recovered, then a semi-final where we really tried hard. We started a journey and did well and got to this stage, which hardly ever happens."

Noah Ohio, Netherlands striker: "They take the lead, we get back into the game and it felt comfortable at that point but then we gave them a chance that we can never give away. We give a player with that much quality so much time on the edge of the box and he is always going to score. To work so hard and be in the last four in Europe and give it away like that hurts a little bit more."

Key stats

• England could become the first team since Spain in 2011 and 2013 to win successive titles.
• The Young Lions have won ten of their last 12 finals matches (D1 L1).
• Netherlands have lost their last three semi-finals. They were beaten 1-0 by Italy in 2013 and 2-1 by Germany in 2021 before this game.
• This was only Netherlands' second defeat in their last 28 matches in U21 EURO qualifying and final tournaments (W20 D6).
• This was England's 11th semi-final – level with Italy and Spain as the most in U21 history.

Line-ups

England: Beadle; Hinshelwood, Quansah, Cresswell, Livramento; Scott (Hackney 84), Anderson, Hutchinson (Norton-Cuffy 78); Elliott (Gray 90+1), Stansfield (Nwaneri 84), McAtee (Rowe 78)

Netherlands: Roefs; Kasanwirjo (Goes 46), Van den Berg, Hato, Maatsen; Valente (Meijer 76), Milambo (Ohio 69), Flamingo; Manhoef (Van Brederode 87), Van Bergen (Regeer 87), Poku

What happens next?

England will play Germany in the U21 EURO final in Bratislava at 21:00 CET on Saturday 28 June.