England U21 2 - 1 Netherlands U21 Player Ratings: Harvey Elliott Rated 8.5/10 as His Late Winner Takes England To EURO U21 Final

England U21 locked horns with Netherlands U21 in the first semifinal of the UEFA Euro U21 Championship on 25th June, 2025, at 6:00 PM (GMT), at the Tehelne Pole in Bratislava, Slovakia. The game started with England having much of the possession, while the Netherlands were largely made to defend in the first half.

A couple of shots from Harvey Elliott in the first half were well saved by Robin Roefs. The England U21 National Team pressed the Dutch players quite well, forcing them to pass around quickly, which resulted in many unnecessary errors. The Netherlands U21 were on the back foot for the majority of the game, as they were happy to soak in the pressure and see out dangerous crosses from either flank. They defended the corners quite well, just as they had done against Portugal U21 in their previous game.

It was not until the second half that the deadlock finally broke, as Elliot Anderson found Harvey Elliott with a juicy pass, which the Liverpool youngster made no mistake in putting past Roef's near post in the 62nd minute. The Netherlands U21 National Team looked lively in the second half, as they pressed well and got into dangerous positions with the ball, but were unable to find the final pass. It was in the 72nd minute when Chris Cresswell made a real mess while trying to control a long clearance from the Dutch defense, which Noah Ohio quickly made his own and fired in from 30 yards out past the helpless James Beadle to bring the Netherlands U21 back into the game.

Just as the game seemed to head into extra time, Harvey Elliott appeared at his absolute best. The youngster pulled off a remarkable solo effort and baffled the Netherlands defense before firing from outside the box with his left foot. His beautiful strike gave England U21 a crucial lead in the 85th minute of the game. After conceding the late goal, Netherlands U21 accelerated their attack but were largely unable to find the proper passes that could unlock the English defense. With the narrow win, England U21 reached the Euro U21 final for the second consecutive time.

Here are the England U21 vs Netherlands U21 player ratings.

England U21 National Football Team Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's England U21 National Football Team Player Ratings:

Goalkeeper:

James Beadle - 6/10

Didn't have much to do in the first half; played well with the ball at his feet.

Defenders:

Tino Livramento - 6/10

The right back used his pace well to overlap whenever England had the ball on the right flank. Livramento defended well against Poku as he closed down the winger at important times.

Charlie Cresswell - 6/10

Cresswell defended well against van Bergen, as he was aware of the threat posed by the tall striker. Came forward to put his foot once or twice and won quite a number of duels in the danger areas. Made a real mess of a Dutch clearance, which Noah Ohio took full advantage of, firing in the equalizer from quite a distance.

Jarell Amorin Quansah - 6/10

Held the defensive line well and was quite efficient in playing it out from the back. Quansah came across to clear away a few dangerous crosses at the perfect time.

Jack Hinshelwood - 6/10

Hinshelwood combined well with Hutchinson on the left, making darting runs near the Netherlands penalty area. Defended well against Manhoef, although the winger got the better of him a few times in the match.

Midfielders:

Harvey Elliott - 8.5/10

Harvey Elliott showed glimpses of his true potential in the first half, with a number of take-ons and a few good passes into the final third. The Liverpool youngster headlined the England U21 National Football Team Player Ratings against Netherlands U21. He had two good chances in the opening minutes of the game, which should have been buried. Finally took his chance in the second half with a good finish past Roef's near post. Scored the winning goal of the game with a beautiful left-footed finish.

Alex Scott - 6/10

The midfielder from Bournemouth had a decent game in the middle. Alex Scott held the ball well and covered the positions to prevent the Dutch midfielders from making too many dangerous runs in and around the penalty box.

James McAtee - 6/10

The Manchester City prodigy was quite lively on the pitch. McAtee made some good turns in the middle of the park to free himself up and played numerous acute through balls, which caused a sense of panic among the Dutch defenders.

Elliot Anderson - 7/10

Complemented Scott well in the middle of the park by closing down the spaces quickly. Wasn't afraid to lunge into tackles and won quite a few important duels for his team. Provided the assist for England's opening goal.

Omari Hutchinson - 6/10

Omari Hutchinson set ablaze the right flank for England, as he brought his A-game to the all-important semifinal. With his bag of tricks, he gave Kasanwirjo a really hard time at the back. The winger got into dangerous positions and played quite a few delicious crosses.

Forwards:

Jay Stansfield - 6/10

The forward used his body well to shield the ball and play around to the wingers. Stansfield dropped deep a few times to get the ball with the goal at his back and made one or two good runs into the box.

Substitutes:

Jonathan Rowe - 6/10

Brooke Norton-Cuffy - 6/10

Hayden Hackney - NA

Ethan Nwaneri - NA

Archie Gray - NA

Manager:

Lee Carsley - 6/10

The vastly experienced manager set his team up well with five midfielders to take control early on in the game. His side pressed well and gave little to no time to the Dutch players to build up from the back. His two wingers, along with the fullbacks, provided good width, as their crossing play was instrumental in causing problems for the Netherlands U21 defense.

Netherlands U21 National Football Team Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Netherlands U21 National Football Team Player Ratings:

Goalkeeper:

Robin Roefs - 5.5/10

Roefs had a bit of a problem with his outing, as he was caught out a few times due to misjudgment regarding the flight of the ball. Made two good saves off Harvey Elliott in the first half, and saved a bullet from Ian Maatsen in the second.

Defenders:

Neraysho Kasanwirjo - 5/10

The right back had a tough time defending against Omari Hutchinson, as he was caught out multiple times by the lively winger, exposing acres of space at the back. Made a fine tackle to prevent Alex Scott from scoring late in the first half.

Rav van den Berg - 6/10

The defender held the defensive line well and was brave to run with the ball from the back. Van den Berg made quite a few important interceptions, which could have caused problems for the Dutch backline.

Jorrel Hato - 6.5/10

Hato made a good number of blocks in and around the penalty box and used his body well to shrug off the likes of Stansfield.

Ian Maatsen - 6/10

Was given a lot of freedom to move up and down the left flank and put it to good use. Although he got the better of the out-of-position Livramento at times, the Englishman was largely superior throughout the course of the game.

Midfielders:

Luciano Valente - 6/10

Valente tried to make things work in the middle of the park with a few good through balls, which were largely misread by his teammates. Made quite a few dangerous runs in and around the penalty area with and without the ball.

Ryan Flamingo - 6/10

Sat deep at the heart of the Dutch midfield and dictated the tempo of the game. Flamingo made a good number of interceptions in the middle of the park, preventing the English midfielders from inflicting much danger.

Antoni Milambo - 6/10

Milambo didn't enjoy much on the left, as he was largely kept in check by Livramento on the right. The midfielder passed the ball around well but was unable to find key spaces in behind the English defense.

Forwards:

Million Manhoef - 6/10

Cut in quite a few times and looked dangerous every time he had the ball at his feet. Manhoef tried his best with his trickery on the left but was well dealt with by Hinshelwood for most of the time.

Thom van Bergen - 4.5/10

The striker used his body well at times to get the better of Quansah but was largely ineffective throughout the game.

Ernest Poku - 6/10

Poku made quite a few good runs on the left and got into dangerous positions with the ball in and around England's penalty box. The winger put in one or two good low crosses into the box but was unable to find a teammate.

Substitutes:

Wouter Goes - 6/10

Noah Ohio - 7.5/10

Ohio is the only standout player in the Netherlands U21 National Football Team Player Ratings against England U21. He scored a banger from 30 yards out after just three minutes of coming on and brought the Dutch back in the game.

Bjorn Meijer - 6/10

Myron van Brederode - NA

Youri Regeer - NA

Manager:

Michael Reiziger - 6/10

Started the game with a typical 4-3-3 formation but was largely kept in check by England U21's press. His team found it difficult to play the ball from the back in the first half and were largely in a defensive phase. Made quick reinforcements in the second half, which proved to be effective and changed the complexion of the game.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Harvey Elliott