Far from the public gaze, England Under-21s are drawing closer to a place in history. Thirty-nine years have passed since they last won a major continental tournament, performances rarely matching levels of hype in the process. But there is plenty about Lee Carsley’s team that feels different and, should they defeat Portugal in Sunday’s quarter-final, they will have stated a formidable case as potential champions.
“Why can’t we win it?” Carsley had asked before the European Under-21 Championship began last month. Reasons appeared plentiful: England were eliminated at the group stage in five of the previous six editions, lacking cohesion despite fielding sides of admirable pedigree; rivals such as France and a seemingly unbeatable Spain looked likely to dominate at the outset; a summer spent in Georgia, co-hosts with Romania, threatened stifling heat; and there was the loss of their centre-forward, Folarin Balogun, to the United States’ senior setup in the competition’s run-up.
