Spain U21 1-3 England U21 Player Ratings: England Roar into the Semis After Dumping Favorites Spain Out

England made light work of pre-tournament James McAtee and Liverpool's Harvey Elliott did the scoring for them. Favourite Spain, who started the game strongly, roared back into it before halftime as Javier Guerra scored his penalty. The second half was more about sides wanting one goal for different reasons. It was England who succeeded late on to put the result beyond doubt and book a semi-final spot against the Netherlands.

La Rojita started the game on the front foot as Diego Lopez saw his shot seemingly hit the arm of Charlie Cresswell. A penalty was given, but the VAR overruled it. It was a warning sign for England, who giddied up after a slow start. They showed great pieces of link-up play and got going. McAtee received a half-cleared corner before firing his side into the lead in the 10th minute.

They scored a quick-fire second goal as two Liverpool players combined. Jarell Quansah ventured out of defence and tested his luck with a decent shot as the keeper parried it into Elliott's path, who bundled home after reacting the quickest.

Spain were shell-shocked after a good start. They desperately needed something to switch things up. Alberto Moleiro was bundled to the ground by Quansah after a good piece of skill late in the first half. Guerra stepped up and calmly slotted it into the net to halve the deficit. They needed to use it as a springboard to turn things around in the second half.

Guerra himself had a fantastic double chance, but Beadle reacted with a fabulous double save. Spain kept trying, but the Young Three Lions showed incredible valour and kept attacking. Alejandro Iturbe conceded a late penalty to make his night even worse. Substitute Elliot Anderson scored it to wrap things up for England. Here are the Spain U21 National Football Team team ratings vs England U21 National Football Team Player Ratings.

Spain U21 National Football Team Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Alejandro Iturbe-3/10

He made a meal of what could've been a regulation save as Elliott scored the rebound. Didn't cover himself in glory for the first goal as well. Conceded a penalty as his confidence hit the ground.

Defenders

Marc Pubill-5.5/10

He was struggling to deal with England's fluid forward line and couldn't contribute much in the attack.

Cesar Tarrega-4/10

Couldn't react quickly to both goals as he was very passive. He was losing duels and failed to make an impact in the other box with his heading.

Cristhian Mosquera-5.5/10

His clearance fell straight to McAtee for the first goal. His presence wasn't enough to hamper Elliott from making it 2-0.

Hugo Bueno -5.5/10

The defender lost his bearings as he lost track of runners at key times. Tried to compensate for it with some meaningful runs into the opposition box.

Midfielders

Benat Turrientes-6/10

The ever-reliable skipper was a ball-winning machine for his side as he was trying to force turnovers. However, once the ball was played forward, he couldn't impact it much.

Javier Guerra-7/10

Scored a high-pressure penalty as calmly as possible. Had a mixed game with the ball at his feet as he lost it frequently. He had two bites at the cherry to score the equaliser, but was denied by the keeper twice in quick succession.

Forwards

Juanlu Sanchez-6/10

Spent more time with his fullbacks rather than attacking the box. His offensive output certainly took a hit due to that.

Alberto Moleiro-7.5/10

The 21-year-old feasted with the ball at his feet as he showed his skillset and agility. Won a penalty with his trickery.

Diego Lopez-6/10

He thought he won a penalty for his side early on with a shot that hit the arm. Was involved in a lot of defending.

Mateo Joseph-6/10

He was starved of service for the majority of the game as he cut an isolated figure with support coming only from Moleiro.

Substitutues

Mikel Jauregizar-6/10

Raul Moro-6/10

Pablo Torre-6/10

Roberto Fernandez-6/10

Jesus Rodriguez-6/10

Manager

Santi Denia-4/10

His side started the game brightly but failed to switch on as England played some direct football. Recovered their mojo after going two goals down, but it was too late.

England U21 Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

James Beadle-7/10

Went the wrong way for the penalty that was scored against him. Made a lot of important saves in the second half, including a fantastic double save to see out the result.

Defenders

Valentino Livramento-7.5/10

Played on his natural right side after deputising on the left. Just as good here with his crosses and defending.

Charlie Cresswell-7/10

The defender got away with an incident as VAR overturned the penalty. He put himself between the ball and the goal as he blocked plenty of efforts.

Jarell Quansah-6.5/10

Strode out of defence regularly to create openings. Assisted Elliott's goal with a fine shot. He bought into the trickery of Moleiro as he brought him down. His calmness on and off the ball helped his side a lot.

Jack Hinshelwood-7/10

Displayed his defensive stance with solid tackles. He didn't overindulge in attack as he was happy helping his defenders and defending the box.

Midfielders

Alex Scott-6.5/10

Showcased his class on the ball as he played clever passes and ran tirelessly. He was replaced in the second half with a solid ball-winner.

Tyler Morton-7/10

Screened the defence well and kept the clock ticking with simple passes. When the opportunity arose, he ventured forward in search of a goal.

Forwards

Harvey Elliott-8/10

Showed clever pieces of play with his linking up and chance creation. Stayed onside and reacted quickly to score his side's second goal that proved to be the match winner.

James McAtee-7/10

The skipper reacted quickest to turn home the first goal. He was a constant threat on turnovers and during set pieces with his tricky positioning.

Omari Hutchinson-6/10

Omari Hutchinson was the most anonymous of a potent attacking three behind the striker. His final actions were lost in translation as he erred in decision-making.

Jay Stansfield-6/10

Handed a key start in a crucial game, he won the ball well and kept it against Spain's centre-back duo. But failed to get on the end of key chances and make it count.

Substitutues

Elliot Anderson-7/10

Caused plenty of trouble after coming on and scored his penalty in style.

Jonathan Rowe-6/10

Won a spotkick after being impeded by Iturbe.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy-6/10

Hayden Hackney-6/10

Ethan Nwaneri-6/10

Manager

Lee Carsley-8/10

The manager did extremely well to change his side's usual slow starts to the game. Once they took the lead, they didn't slow down and fall into Spain's trap. Only resorted to game management when it was needed.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match: Harvey Elliott