England U21 2-1 Netherlands U21: Elliott fires Young Lions into Euro final | OneFootball

England have progressed to the UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship Final following a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands at the Štadión Tehelné Pole on Wednesday evening.

Harvey Elliott gave England the advantage before Noah Ohio levelled the score. With the game looking like it was going to go into extra-time, Elliott completed his brace to secure England a spot in the final.

The Young Lions now have the opportunity to win back-to-back European Championships, and will discover their opponent after Germany and France meet in the other semi-final tonight.

As it happened

England started with speed and created their first chance in the third minute after Omari Hutchinson’s cross fizzed across the box, with Elliott testing Robin Roefs.

As the Young Lions continued to pile on the pressure, Roefs stood his ground against Elliott once again on the 11th minute from point-blank range.

The Netherlands did pick up a brief spell of possession midway through the first-half, but did not pose any threat to the England defence. Lee Carsley’s side were the better of the two; they controlled the tempo and picked the right moments to progress forward – but failed to capitalise.

On the hour mark, Rev van den Berg made a crucial block to deny Timo Livramento’s attempt to net the opener for England.

The Netherlands were getting stronger by the minute and Aston Villa’s Ian Maatsen unleashed a powerful effort which James Beadle was forced to palm away. However, Elliot broke the deadlock shortly after when his effort rifled into the roof of the net from an acute angle.

The Liverpool man is only one of two players remaining in the squad from England’s U21 triumph two years ago – and that experience proved to be pivotal.

England’s lead lasted only ten minutes though, with Noah Ohio dragging the Netherlands level with his first touch in the fixture after coming off the bench. It was a unique goal from the number nine, who caught a scrambling Beadle off-guard with a low finish from 35 yards out near the touchline.

Elliott’s individual brilliance restored England’s lead on the 85th minute. After his quick turn into space, his curled effort found the bottom corner.

However, the job was not yet done for Carsley’s side. Ernest Poku unleashed a powerful effort which Beadle had to punch away as the Young Lions tried to play down the clock at every opportunity – a strategy that worked in their favour as they are now one game away from defending their European crown.

The lineups