Lee Carsley's team held out under intense second-half pressure to seal a 1-0 win on Sunday and set up a game against Israel for a place in the final
England Under-21s booked their place in the semi-finals of the European Championship as they held on to secure a 1-0 quarter-final win over Portugal following Anthony Gordon's first-half strike.
Gordon fired home from just inside the penalty area after a fine low cross from Morgan Gibbs-White as England cut through the Portugal defence with some incisive passing and dribbling from midfield.
The goal was just reward for Lee Carsley's team, who dominated possession, though they did need James Trafford to make a fine near-post save to deny Pedro Neto at the start of the half, and an excellent block from Taylor Harwood-Bellis to keep Tiago Dantas from equalising shortly before half-time.
The tables turned after the break, however, as Portugal dominated the ball and pushed the Young Lions back. Substitute Henrique Araujo went closest to equalising as he headed against crossbar, but Chelsea's Levi Colwill led a fine resistance from the England backline to secure a meeting with Israel on Wednesday in the final four.
GOAL rates England's players from the Ramez Shengelia Stadium in Kutaisi, Georgia…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
James Trafford (6/10):
Fine near post save denied Neto early on before a couple of more straightforward stops after the break. Confident with the ball at his feet. Still to concede in the tournament.
James Garner (5/10):
Struggled at times to deal with Neto in his unfamiliar right-back role. Better in possession than out of it.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (7/10):
Dominant in the air and made a couple of crucial last-ditch blocks as Portugal eyed an equaliser. Some sloppy passes the only negative in his performance.
Levi Colwill (9/10):
Ensured England rarely lost composure as they came under pressure in the second half and increasingly dealt with more and more balls into the box. Carried the ball out of defence with the confidence of a seasoned professional.
Max Aarons (5/10):
Conceicao got the better of him on a number of occasions. Booked so will miss the semi-final.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Noni Madueke (6/10):
Lacked cutting edge despite some dangerous dribbles cutting inside from the right. Replaced for the final 20 minutes.
Angel Gomes (8/10):
Outstanding in the first half as England controlled possession. Game passed him by a little after the break, but continues to impress in this competition.
Curtis Jones (6/10):
Energetic in pressing high and tidy on the ball, but rarely incisive. Fired wide with an early effort when he maybe should have done better.
Jacob Ramsey (7/10):
An elite ball-carrier, as he showed in the build-up to Gordon's opener. Tried to get England up the pitch in the second half before being forced off with an ankle injury.
Getty ImagesAttack
Morgan Gibbs-White (7/10):
Linked up play well from his role as the second striker. Superb first-time cut-back provided the assist for Gordon to open the scoring.
Anthony Gordon (8/10):
The match-winner with a fine finish to round off a superb team move. Growing into the No.9 role, and tracked back well in the second half.
Subs & Manager
Emile Smith Rowe (6/10):
Almost teed up Gordon for second goal to seal it after replacing Ramsey.
Ben Johnson (5/10):
Booked after coming on for Aarons for the final 20 minutes.
Cole Palmer (6/10):
Spent most of his time on the pitch tracking back, but did his best to drag England forward on the rare occasions he picked up possession.
Oliver Skipp (6/10):
Added a bit of robustness in midfield after replacing Gomes for the final 10 minutes.
Lee Carsley (7/10):
Might have been better off playing full-backs in their natural roles given Portugal's dangerous wingers, but otherwise set his team up well and identified the right players to replace so his team could hold on.