England Under-21s once again showed how they are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, even if their exploits in Georgia continue to linger outside the public’s gaze.
Lee Carsley’s side had swept through the group stage of this year’s European Under-21 Championship with minimal fuss and, while they had to work much harder in this quarter-final victory against Portugal, their dreams of what some feel is a long overdue triumph at this level remain very much alive.
You may well not know all this is happening of course given how the tournament is confined to Uefa’s website as a result of a failure to strike a deal to get matches televised to British viewers. Perhaps that could change now and the broadcasters will show more intent to offer this talented group of youngsters a platform if England reach the final in Batumi on Saturday. Israel, whom they beat quite comfortably in the group stage, now stand between Carsley’s men and a shot at what would be England’s first success at this level time in almost 40 years.
Not since the days of Gary Mabbutt and Mark Hateley in 1984 have England Under-21s won the European Championship, but it has arguably never felt closer for a group like it has here. They are yet to concede a goal in four fixtures, with the Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, who excelled on loan at Bolton last season, looking increasingly impenetrable. Taylor Harwood‑Bellis and Levi Colwill look an astute centre-half pairing and ahead of them is talent aplenty.
That includes the unlikely front two of Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. Carsley’s decision to pair the duo and go without a recognised striker raised some eyebrows at the beginning of the tournament but it certainly bore fruit here, with Gibbs‑White providing the ball for Gordon’s first‑half strike which proved to be the difference.
England were impressive in that first half but the second half was much different, with a near‑constant onslaught from Portugal, whose side made the final of this tournament two years ago. But England held on to set up the semi-final against Israel in Batumi’s Adjarabet Arena on Wednesday.
England began the brighter of the two sides. Clearcut chances were few and far between, though Gordon did produce a smart low save from Celton Biai in the Portugal goal. At the other end, Wolves’ Pedro Neto called Trafford into action with a low save but as the half progressed you always felt it was England who looked stronger in broken play.
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That proved to be the case shortly after the half-hour mark as they opened the deadlock in scintillating fashion. Noni Madueke’s through ball released Gibbs-White and he expertly cut the ball back on the angle across the penalty area for Gordon to finish superbly past Biai and score his second goal of the tournament.
England have been praised for the way they have attacked throughout, underlined by the quality of the goal that settled this tie. But they had to call on the other side of their game after half-time, with Portugal emerging from the changing rooms with enriched purpose. England’s resilience was tested on numerous occasions, though you could argue Trafford was not called into action on too many occasions.
That was until the substitute Henrique Araújo, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Watford, hit the crossbar in a rare moment when England’s defence looked exposed. That has been a rarity in this tournament. But it proved to be a wake-up call for England to shore up once again, regain their composure and close out victory without too many more nervy moments.
They have been fast, fluid and eye-catching in attack and defensively resolute at the back, and there have not been too many England sides at any level of late who tick both those boxes as emphatically.
Perhaps over the next week, the nation will get a proper chance to witness them and a deal can be struck to show the run-in. This group certainly deserve it.
