Thrilling Victory: England U21s Secure Euro Semi-Finals Spot with Anthony Gordon's Stunning Strike against Portugal U21s

England's U21s held off a relentless onslaught in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory over Portugal and advance to the semi-finals of Euro 2023. Their next opponent will be Israel.

In the 34th minute, Anthony Gordon sealed the lead for Lee Carsley's team with an impressive finish, building on their dominant performance in the first half.

Portugal took control in the second half, hitting the bar and having two penalty appeals overlooked, as they completely dominated the game after the interval. However, England managed to withstand the pressure thanks to the exceptional performances of centre-backs Levi Colwill and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who expertly protected goalkeeper James Trafford. Trafford, who has yet to concede a goal in this tournament, guided England to a hard-fought victory, securing their place in the semifinals.

England's focus now shifts to Israel, whom they defeated 2-0 during the group stage. This upcoming match against Israel marks England's first appearance in this stage of the Euros since 2017.

"England adopted a more defensive approach in the second half, but their defensive prowess was commendable," commented former England U21 player Lee Hendrie on We News. "In the end, it was a splendid performance and an outstanding outcome."

How England survived Portugal onslaught to reach semis

England have a great opportunity to proceed and triumph in this match. After securing victories in all their group stage matches with a score of 2-0, England approached this knockout game with an abundance of confidence, evident in their dominant possession play throughout the first half.

Trafford's impressive save to deny Pedro Neto of Wolves should have served as a warning of what was to come. However, with Gordon scoring for England and Noni Madueke narrowly missing a shot, England appeared to be the stronger team. As halftime approached, England capitalized on their dominance. The goal showcased the coordination of their front three players. Madueke passed the ball into the right channel of the penalty area for Morgan Gibbs-White, who then provided a perfect assist for Gordon to expertly convert his second goal of the tournament.

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Anthony Gordon from England celebrates as he scores against Portugal. England relied on a crucial block from Harwood-Bellis right before halftime to maintain their lead. The Young Lions' captain bravely threw himself in the path of a shot from Portugal captain Tiago Dantas. This marked the beginning of their relentless defensive effort.

At the beginning of the second half, Carsley's team faced immediate pressure as Colwill's clearance was blocked, luckily avoiding a bigger problem for Trafford. Dantas and substitute Paulo Bernardo came close to scoring.

Portugal's first appeal for a penalty occurred just after the 60-minute mark. Fabio Silva and Colwill both went down in the penalty area from a cross. Although the defender made a good block against Henrique Araujo, there were stronger appeals, with Araujo insisting that Harwood-Bellis had fouled him. Once again, the referee and VAR favored England.

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Content: Gordon and Noni Madueke posed threats for England during the first half, but their influence waned in the second half as Portugal took control. Araujo, a substitute who had been on loan at Watford the previous season, made an impactful contribution and came close to scoring with a header that narrowly hit the crossbar. As a result, England struggled to regain momentum, managing only one shot in the entirety of the second half, which occurred in the 87th minute.

England managed to survive, despite not playing their best. Their Euros dream continues after a brief respite, with Neto's shot going wide following a blocked free-kick at the 90-minute mark, and Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares narrowly missing a powerful shot in injury time. The full-time whistle ultimately came to England's rescue.

Analysis: England show quality - and then fight

We're Peter Smith:

"England put their fans through a rollercoaster ride in the second half. The level of dominance displayed by Portugal was completely unexpected after witnessing the first 45 minutes. However, England struggled to maintain possession of the ball once the game resumed.

The side under Carsley's leadership will need to reflect on this as they progress further into the tournament. However, in this moment, both Carsley, his players, and their supporters can draw encouragement from their commendable determination in overcoming this significant challenge.

Remarkably, they have yet to allow a single goal in this tournament and have successfully advanced to the semifinals! This achievement now opens up endless possibilities.

What's next?

England will play Israel in the semi-final at the Batumi Arena on Wednesday July 5 with the final held in the same stadium on July 8.