Fighting spirit lifts England U21s as they eye more history

The Under-21 England team has shown they can fight for their European title.

Any doubts about these Young Lions’ potential were eliminated by the massive brawl at the final whistle, which was matched by their brilliant Euro 2025 quarter-final victory on Saturday.

After their hampered 2-1 defeat to Germany, England faced a lack of fight, according to Charlie Cresswell, who promised before the game that the Young Lions lived up to their hype.

After a late challenge on Tino Livramento just before the final whistle sounded, Cresswell was at the forefront of protecting his team-mates. The players were eager to fight for each other after the victory, which they won 3-1.

Similar scenes followed England’s victory in the Euro 2023 championship match against Spain, and the defending champions aren’t happy to let their title languish.

Following a performance that was full of class, style, guile, and fight, they now face the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Manager Lee Carsley made a joke about how “better ways to foster camaraderie can be created.” However, in the final in 2023, something sounded similar. In those circumstances, you don’t want anyone to punch or get offended.

We probably need to give the players some leeway because you can see what it means to them. It’s still disappointing to see, thankfully it wasn’t over the top. Although we’re constantly trying to motivate younger players to play football, the enthusiasm was lacking.

The Manchester City midfielder, who scored England’s opening goal, also embodied the mood, giving it a good fight.

There is still much more the team can do, I believe. I said at the start of the tournament that I believe the more connected we will become, “said Carsley.”

As long as England qualified from the group, the head coach has always been certain that after the group’s qualification, they would start to find their feet and momentum in the competition. Following a draw with Slovenia and a defeat by Germany, the Czech Republic won.

The substitutes also made an impact, especially Elliot Anderson, who started soon after the break, with Cresswell and Jay Stansfield, who both gave outstanding performances.

They are a really close group, but I’ve also been in groups that left early, Carsley said.

It was only a matter of time before it actually clicked. I believe that these players are always very high in our expectations, and I’m pleased that we’ve found ourselves in a position where we have a good chance of pushing.

Carsley was reluctant to portray his team as tournament favorites now, despite saying he didn’t feel like an underdog against Spain.

He continued, “We must be humble. The semi-final will be a very challenging game. Thus, we’ll be fully prepared once more. Another team that we have been watching for about six months is the Netherlands.

Carsley lost a prominent position up front after signing for £30 million from Ipswich to Chelsea, where he was forced to join the Blues for the Club World Cup.

It’s simple to concentrate on the missing forward, but the lack of a presence and a leader to finish off strong moves in the group stage was a real problem.

They maintained their good positions throughout the group stage, allowing them to have the third-most chances of winning the tournament, but they lacked the finishing touch.

In all three group games, Marseille’s Jonathan Rowe started the game from the beginning, but he was unable to score, and Stansfield was the only team player with a recognized out-and-out strike.

The Birmingham striker ran himself into the ground in Trnava despite not having Delap’s physical presence and scoring 24 goals in the League One title last season.

His selfless service never let the Spanish defense fall, allowing others to have space. The striker left the tank when it was obvious that he had nothing left.

Carsley mentioned taking more risks and being brave enough to potentially leave the gaps on Friday, and that is exactly what he got.

Delap was a key figure, but he was also one of the others who went missing.

Jobe Bellingham also made his first international debut with his new club in the £33 million deal to Borussia Dortmund, scoring against Mamelodi Sundowns a few hours before England’s debut in Trnava.

The midfielder would undoubtedly have been advantageous to Carsley, as would Adam Wharton, if they had contributed to Sunderland’s play-off success.

Wharton is yet another significant player who is unaccounted for in this tournament due to the concussion he sustained during Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory.

Jarrad Branthwaite, who won twice in 2023, was sidelined with an ankle injury, while Captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who won twice in 2023, was sidelined with a hamstring injury.