Saturday night’s win over Spain may have come as a bit of a surprise to Lee Carsley and his England U21 staff given the difficult start the reigning champions have made out in Slovakia.
The Young Lions squeezed into the knockout stages with four points from three games. England beat The Czech Republic but drew against Slovenia and then were beaten by Germany, who topped the group.
However, England held onto second and saw the likes of Charlie Cresswell and Archie Gray go up against Mateo Joseph’s Spain in the quarter-finals. England, though, surprised many with an impressive 3-1 win.
Goals from Harvey Elliott, James McAtee and Elliot Anderson proved enough for Carsley’s men. But it was what happened that has earned just as much attention – with Spain orchestrating a post-match brawl.
Spain v England - UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025 Quarter-Final
Photo by Tullio Puglia – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Charlie Cresswell praised on Saturday, before and after full time
Cresswell has started all three games for Carsley’s side and even finished Saturday’s quarter-final win with the captain’s armband. The Leeds academy product continues to shine since Daniel Farke offloaded him.
After a brilliant 12 months with Toulouse, Cresswell has continued his form with the 21’s and it is not going unnoticed. Sunderland are interested in Cresswell, as are Cesc Fabregas’ ambitious Serie A outfit Como.
Another superb display resulted in Cresswell being targeted by Spain’s players after the match last night. The former Leeds man was manhandled by three Spain stars as Joseph attempted to diffuse the situation.
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Henry Winter posted an image that sees Almeria’s Marc Pubill going at Cresswell. Yet, Cresswell only posted three words on his Instagram on Sunday after the win, clearly unaffected: “Let’s keep moving.”
Harry Gray teases Cresswell with GIF of UFC legend Jon Jones
Ironically, UFC legend Jon Jones has just called retirement. The UFC’s greatest-ever fighter has just ended a career that saw him only lose one of 30 fights, most wins in title fights and was heavyweight champion.
Meanwhile, Harry Gray has made a bit of a name for himself for being a bit of a joker. Gray teased Harry Maguire after Man United were beaten in the Europa League final by older brother Archie’s Tottenham.
Screenshot of Harry Gray, Sam Greenwood and Alfie Cresswell commenting on Charlie Cresswell's Instagram post.
Above, he commented on Cresswell’s Instagram and uploaded a GIF of UFC icon Jones. Sam Greenwood, who also remains a Leeds player after a tricky loan at Preston, also joked that Cresswell is “hard”.