Mark Noble will lead England into the semi-finals of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship after an outstanding 2-0 win against Spain on Thursday.
Stuart Pearce's side went into the game knowing victory in Gothenburg would confirm their place in the last four but they were up against the pre-tournament favourites Spain. After a keenly-fought first half, the match opened up after the interval and superb strikes from Fraizer Campbell and James Milner, following excellent build-up play, settled the contest in the Young Lions' favour.
England recalled Nedum Onuoha in defence in place of the suspended Michael Mancienne, following his dismissal in the Group B opening win against Finland last Monday. That meant no place for James Tomkins, who figured as a late substitute last time out. Noble flew the flag for West Ham United with an accomplished display that befitted his status as captain although he was feeling the effects of a tough game come the final whistle as his club-mate waited to applaud him off the pitch.
The England No10 was a driving force in midfield while the likes of Milner, Lee Cattermole and the outstanding Fabrice Muamba also shone. Pearce thought his side had taken the lead just after the half-hour mark when Milner was brought down but the Aston Villa man missed the resulting penalty. Spain had their moments, most notably through Bojan's curler on 37 minutes, but England took control after the break.
Campbell, on for first-half injury victim Gabriel Agbonlahor, had the Spanish defenders constantly on the backfoot and fizzed in a low shot to score after capitalising on a defensive mix-up in the 67th minute. Within six minutes, fellow replacement Theo Walcott roared down the left wing after bright play involving Noble and Cattermole before sliding it back for Milner to wrap up the win.
With Germany winning 2-0 against Finland earlier on Thursday, England have a two-point advantage on them before they meet in Halmstad on Monday. A win or draw would confirm top spot for Pearce's side with their opponents in the semi-finals on Friday week far from decided. Group A is wide open with Sweden, Italy, Serbia and Belarus all still in with a shout for the two last-four places after just one round of matches played in that section.