𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Bratislava looks ready for what should be a fascinating semi-final this evening.

Can the Young Lions move one step closer to another U21 Euros title?

There were wild celebrations as England impressively beat Spain in the quarter-finals

Lee Carsley will not allow the heat to be an excuse as England in Bratislava today.

Temperatures are set to exceed 30 degrees celsius in Slovakia but boss Carsley insists his players are ready to take that challenge on

“We’ve not shied away from the heat,” Carsley said. “We’ve exposed the players to it fully. We’re ready for it. We’re fully prepared now.

“We’ve trained at some of the hottest periods of the day, not on purpose but just the way that it’s worked out with our training time.

“We’ve been here long enough now to acclimatise to the heat. We’ve definitely got hydration strategies in place in terms of what the players need to cool down quickly and hydrate quickly.

“I think our use of the substitutions has been effective in terms of our timings. We’ve probably gone a little bit earlier than you would in normal circumstances, based on how hot it’s been.”

And here’s the Netherlands side. Quarter-final match-winner Ernest Poku is given the start after emerging from the bench to score the decisive goal against Portugal.

The England team is in. Elliot Anderson, who looked notably frustrated at being demoted to the bench last time out, is back in the starting XI.

England were working hard in training yesterday in preparation for this semi-final

Few expected England to beat Spain in the quarter-finals (despite the obvious talent available to Lee Carsley), but things seemed to click in Trnava and England are now just a game away from consecutive European Championship finals.

The Young Lions are as short as 23/20 to win the tie in normal time, with bookies clearly rating a squad that includes James McAtee, Tino Livramento, Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah.

But England will be wary that many thought the same about Spain ahead of their match, and talent certainly does not guarantee success at this level.

Transfer news surrounding one of England’s squad this evening.

Liverpool have agreed to sell Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for a fee rising to €41m (£35m).

The defender is expected to join the 2024 Bundesliga champions as the summer trading between the two clubs continues.

Liverpool could have a buy-back clause in the deal, which is likely to go through after the end of the Euros, where Quansah has been a key cog for Carsley’s Young Lions.

Meanwhile, substitute Ernest Poku scored a dramatic late winner as 10-man Netherlands edged past Portugal to progress to the semi-finals.

The Dutch were on the backfoot when Ruben van Bommel, son of former Netherlands midfielder Mark, was sent off early in the first half but were given a lifeline when Portugal winger Geovany Quenda, who will join Chelsea next year, missed a penalty.

Portugal continued to dominate in the second half but Michael Reiziger’s side dealt the decisive blow when Aston Villa’s Ian Maatsen lifted a pass over the defence for Poku to round goalkeeper Samuel Soares and score with six minutes to go.

England booked their place in the European U21 Championship semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Spain.

The Young Lions benefitted from an early let-off after a VAR check resulted in an overturned penalty. Captain James McAtee then opened the scoring in the 10th minute and Harvey Elliott netted his second goal of the tournament five minutes later.

Javi Guerra clawed a goal back for Spain with a 39th-minute penalty, but substitute Elliot Anderson’s own spot-kick in second-half stoppage time assured Lee Carsley’s men of their spot in the final four.

Here’s how England made it through to the semi-finals: