Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Germany will contest the semi-finals of the 2021 U-21 European Championship after they secured their last-four berths on May 31 at the expense of some of the other favorites for the trophy.
Tournament favorites France suffered a shock exit at the hands of the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the U-21 UEFA Euro. France, who had Dayot Upamecano, Houssem Aouar, and Ibrahima Konate in the line-up, were beaten 2-1 by the Netherlands, with Myron Boadu scoring both goals a come-from-behind win.
France took the lead midway through the first half through centre-back Upamecano. The Bayern Munich-bound youngster rose highest following a corner to head the ball past Justin Bijlow in the Dutch goal. The Netherlands tried to hit back through Justin Kluivert and Myron Boadu but were unable to find the leveller in the first half.
That changed right at the start of the second half, however. Boadu, who is among the hottest prospects in Europe at the moment, scored what would be the first of his two goals on the night. Both teams struggled to find the go-ahead goal and the match seemed to be heading towards extra time. However, with just seconds remaining on the clock, the Dutchmen broke through on the counter, and Kluivert fed Boadu to score his second. The Oranje erupted with joy while the Bleus fell to their knees.
Holders Spain joined the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the competition by beating Croatia 2-1. Espanyol’s Javi Puado scored both the goals in the victory, with his second coming during the additional thirty-minute period at the end of regular time.
Puado scored the first of his two goals six minutes past the hour-mark. It was due reward for the Spaniards who had, up until that point, dominated the match. Croatia did not sit back, however. Igor Biscan’s side fought back and was awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time for their efforts. Dinamo Zagreb’s Luka Ivanusec stepped up to take the spot-kick, scored, and sent the match into overtime.
Nonetheless, Croatian hearts were broken when Puado scored his second of the night in the 110th minute. Spain will play Portugal for a place in the final – Portugal, who beat Italy 5-3 in the quarter-finals to book their place in the last four of the competition.
A Dany Mota brace helped Portugal race into a two-goal lead against Italy in the third quarter-final of the U-21 Euro. However, the Azzurrini pulled one back right on half-time through Tommaso Pobega to give themselves a chance in the tie. Shortly after the break, though, Portugal restored their two-goal cushion when Goncalo Ramos found the net.
Italy did not stay down for long. Forward Gianluca Scamacca reduced the deficit once again just two minutes after Ramos’ goal. Captain Patrick Cutrone made it 3-3 in regular time, with two minutes left to play in the ninety. The game went into extra time as a result.
However, as customary during this tournament, Italy were brought down to ten men, with Mateo Lovato receiving his marching orders from the referee. Portugal took advantage of the same and scored twice during the additional thirty minutes to book their place in the semis – João Felipe and Francisco Conceicao-to win the match.
Germany claimed the final spot in the semi-finals with a penalty shootout win over Denmark. Wahid Faghir made history for the Danes during the match, as he became the youngest player to score in the tournament at the age of 17. Faghir’s goal was cancelled out by Lukas Nmecha during the normal time, before Jonathan Burkardt and Victor Nelsson scored one apiece to make the scoreline 2-2. The match went to penalties, and Germany beat Denmark 6-5 to book a semi-final tie against the Netherlands.
