In a decisive quarter-final match, England Under-21s demonstrated their championship caliber by defeating Spain 3-1 at the European Championship. After initial struggles, goals from McAtee and Elliott gave them control, despite a penalty from Guerra. Manager Lee Carsley expressed confidence in the team's capabilities and anticipated a tough matchup against the Netherlands, who also showcased resilience in their quarter-final win over Portugal. Both teams, having faced challenges in earlier matches, looked to build on their recent successes as they moved forward in the tournament.
I said this team would click. We'd clicked in parts, but for 75% of this game I thought we were very good - outstanding, even - and there's still more to come.
We've been watching the Netherlands for maybe six months. One of the things we do between camps is watch the top teams and I'd definitely put them in that bracket.
I'm very proud of the work my players did. They fought for every metre on the field, on the pitch. It was a victory that we had to go very deep.
Their quarter-final display was memorable for a remarkable show of resilience as they beat Portugal 1-0 despite being reduced to 10 men after 21 minutes.
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