Holland

1-1

England

Maceo Rigters 89 

Leroy Lita 39 

Holland win 13-12 on penalties

2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Abe Lenstra Stadion, Heerenveen
5.15pm (BST), Wednesday 20 June 2007
Live on Sky Sports

Sir Trevor Brooking has paid tribute to England Under-21s following their heroic display in Heerenveen that ultimately ended in defeat to the Dutch hosts at the Semi-Final stage.

The FA's Director of Football Development was pleased by the work ethic and attitude of the players, and feels that despite missing out on a place in the final on Saturday, they will learn a great deal from the experience.

Sir Trevor said: "The lads have worked so hard to get this far. Throughout the qualifying campaign, in the Finals and on the training pitch they have been committed to doing well for England.

"For the tournament to end in the way it did is heartbreaking for them, but it is about how these players deal with that and learn from it.

"It is all part of their education as England internationals and we hope that these players will draw from that experience and benefit from it going forward."

Sir Trevor admits that the focus now shifts to the next Championship which takes place in two years time, and Sir Trevor believes that there should now be a full-time coach at the helm.

"We will now use the next few weeks to begin our preparations for the 2009 UEFA Championship qualifiers, which start in September," Sir Trevor explained.

"Clearly our priority is looking to the future and I believe we are committed to making the coach of this side a full-time position. The past two weeks here in Holland show the importance of the role and why it should be permanent.

"Stuart Pearce has done fantastically well in this tournament, the spirit in the camp has been great and they really showed their character in the face of adversity against the Dutch. They were seconds away from a place in the final, and Stuart, the coaches and all the staff can be very proud of what they have achieved."