Thursday 22 June 2017 22:40, UK
England are through to the semi-finals of the 2017 European Under-21 Championships following a 3-0 win over Poland in Kielce.
An early goal from Demarai Gray set Aidy Boothroyd's men on their way and the win was sealed by Jacob Murphy's tap in and Lewis Baker's penalty after the interval.
Here, we pick out five talking points from the Under-21 side's latest win…
Prior to Thursday night, England's performances had been patchy even in picking up four points from their opening two games. "I'd be lying if I said I'd planned it this way because I didn't want us to peak too early," Boothroyd had said on the eve of the game. "But the honest answer is, we are finding our feet."
That proved to be the case against hosts Poland as England played with confidence and purpose in delivering their biggest victory at this tournament in 17 years. It is quite the turnaround, given that Boothroyd's men were staring at a defeat to Sweden had Jordan Pickford not produced a fine penalty save in the opening match.
"I've not seen a telling pass that cuts open a defence," former England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce told Sky Sports beforehand. He was referring to England's attacking midfielders but it was goalkeeper Pickford who showed off his much-vaunted passing ability to find Ben Chilwell in the build-up to the opening goal. That is what the Everton man is capable of.
However, not all of Pickford's work was quite so tidy. He mishandled one second-half cross under pressure and then directed a pass straight to Poland soon after. That's the risk and reward calculation that is needed when encouraging a goalkeeper to be ambitious in his distribution. Even so, with two clean sheets now, England are looking well organised.
Even after Pickford's pass to Chilwell, there was much left for Gray to do but he was single-minded enough to find the finish. "Gray is in the team for a reason," ex-England striker Dean Ashton told Sky Sports. "To be positive, to turn and not even worry that there are maybe players available, he's just going to shoot and score. That's what we needed more of."
And yet, after the break, Gray showed he had awareness too - picking out a pass to find Murphy for England's second. There have been calls for Gray's inclusion and this performance is likely to be enough to see him retain his place for the semi-final now. The Leicester winger provides England with a much-needed threat on the counter-attack.
That was something identified by Boothroyd in his interview with Sky Sports beforehand. "They are like wasps," he said of Gray and Nathan Redmond in reference to their speed and incision on the counter-attack. It worked but Boothroyd will have known that the decision to rest Tammy Abraham was a gamble.
The Chelsea striker shone in the first two games and made a contribution against Poland from the bench too, winning the penalty that Baker duly converted for England's third. The tall striker will now be better for the rest and Boothroyd has succeeded in playing others into form too. A triumphant night for the coach and his young team.
It is not only Abraham who will enjoy a rest. As the first team through to the knockout stages, England will have longer to prepare for their semi-final and go into the final four in good form. After three consecutive failures to get through the group stage, England are now two games away from a first trophy at this tournament since 1984.
Having already won the Under-20 World Cup and the Toulon Tournament this summer, this could be a third squad of a similar age tasting international success in a matter of weeks. Amid ongoing concerns about pathways and withdrawals, that would be some achievement. Evidently, the quality is there. History beckons. More importantly, the future is bright.
