Ethan Nwaneri has sent Mikel Arteta a brilliant message by helping the England Under-21s secure a place in the European Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 win over Spain in Slovakia.
The Young Lions, who will face the Netherlands next, were given an early reprieve when a penalty decision against them was reversed following a VAR review. James McAtee got Lee Carsley’s side off the mark in the 10th minute before Harvey Elliott doubled his country’s lead with his second goal of the tournament just five minutes later.
Spain managed to pull one back through Javi Guerra, who netted a penalty shortly before the break. But a spot-kick from Elliot Anderson in stoppage time sealed the win for England, who confirming their place in the semi-finals.
The match began on shaky ground; Spain believed they had earned a penalty when Charlie Cresswell was adjudged to have handled the ball by Simone Sozza. However, after consultation with his VAR colleague, the Italian referee overturned the decision, much to England’s relief.
McAtee broke the deadlock from an Alex Scott corner, assisted by a flick-on from Omari Hutchinson. The ball took a touch off a Spanish player, but only into the path of the alert England captain who converted from close quarters.
Elliott then extended the Young Lions’ lead, capitalising on a mistake from Alejandro Iturbe, who parried a long-range effort from Jarell Quansah back into the danger zone.
England’s defensive lapse gave Spain another opportunity from the spot. Quansah inadvertently tripped Alberto Moleiro deep into his side’s box, prompting Sozza to award a penalty.
Guerra took the responsibility and calmly sent James Beadle the wrong way to reduce the deficit. After the break, Quansah and Hutchinson combined well to set up Jay Stansfield, who was replaced by Nwaneri in the final minutes.
Shortly afterwards, Cresswell headed a corner into the side-netting. Beadle made two crucial saves to deny Guerra and then collected a shot from Mateo Joseph.
Meanwhile, England were still seeking their first shot on target since Elliott’s goal, with 20 minutes left on the clock, when Morton’s attempt went just wide. Jack Hinshelwood had a golden chance to extend the Young Lions’ lead but his free header sailed over the crossbar.
As Spain pushed for a late equaliser, England caught them on the break. Iturbe fouled Jonathan Rowe inside the box, leading to a penalty which Anderson confidently converted to secure the win for the Young Lions.
