England’s U21 side recovered from a stuttering group stage campaign to beat Spain in the quarter-finals on Saturday night – as Charlie Cresswell got the better of Leeds United’s Mateo Joseph.
The current Euro U21 champions only managed four points from a possible nine in the groups, beating the Czech Republic but only drawing against Slovakia and then losing to Germany. They finished second.
It saw them face Joseph’s Spain, who had pipped Willy Gnonto’s Italy to top spot. But England recovered superbly to beat Spain – earning a 3-1 win as James McAtee, Harvey Elliott and Elliot Anderson all scored.
Lee Carsley’s men progressed to the semi-finals with Cresswell the star of the show in defence, as Archie Gray remained an unused sub. But it all got a bit out of hand after the full-time whistle in Slovakia.
Spain v England - UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025 Quarter-Final
Photo by Tullio Puglia – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Joseph holds Cresswell back from angry Spain teammates
It was unclear what had sparked the Spanish anger, but a lot of it was aimed towards Toulouse defender Cresswell. It came after a superb performance, in which Cresswell finished the game with the armband.
Indeed, Spain’s players and even some coaching staff went after Cresswell, and images show the former Leeds defender holding off three Spain players by himself, while Joseph is trying to separate them.
If anything, Cresswell’s post-match performance summed up his display in the 90 minutes, holding the Spaniards off himself. Henry Winter’s post shows Almeria’s Marc Pubill among those attacking Cresswell.
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Cresswell’s Toulouse and England U21 form not going unnoticed
It has been a stellar 12 months for the England defender, who left Leeds last summer for the Ligue 1 side. The move came after Daniel Farke afforded Cresswell just seven matches in his first season as manager.
Cresswell’s form has earned interest from Sunderland this summer, with reports saying Regis Le Bris’ side would have to spend more than double what Leeds received for the Thorp Arch academy product.
More recently, Gianluca Di Marzio says ambitious Serie A side Como are in advanced talks to sign the defender. Of course, Como are managed by Cesc Fabregas – who himself was linked with the Leeds job.