Harvey Elliott brace fires England past Netherlands into U21 Euro final

England beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final of the European U21 Championship on Wednesday.

Manager Lee Carsley made one change to the side that started against Spain, replacing Tyler Morton with Elliot Anderson in the midfield.

England started the game on the front foot and registered their first shot on target inside four minutes.

Forward Omari Hutchinson beat his marker and put in a cross for Harvey Elliott, whose left-footed low shot was saved by goalkeeper Robin Roefs.

Elliott nearly opened the scoring in the 14th minute, forcing Roefs to make a superb save.

After the drinks break taken in the 25th minute, both teams struggled to create clear scoring opportunities before the end of the first half.

The second session started with good defensive contributions from both sides.

Tino Livramento denied Ernest Poku from aiming at the goal, while Jorrel Hato’s vital block prevented England from scoring at the other end.

Goalkeeper James Beadle made a crucial save to prevent Ian Maatsen’s 25-yard strike from giving the Dutch the lead on the hour mark.

Two minutes later, the Young Lions broke the deadlock through a brilliant finish from Elliott.

They had a chance to double their lead when Alex Scott linked up with Hutchinson. The Ipswich Town forward aimed a shot at goal, but he could not get his effort on target.

Substitute Noah Ohio restored parity for the Netherlands after 72 minutes, taking advantage of Beadle’s poor positioning to score.

Elliott scored the winning goal with four minutes remaining, skillfully evading his markers before burying a low shot past Roefs.

The Young Lions will face the winner of the match between Germany and France in the final.