England's young Premier League stars scored early and late as well as a superb defensive rearguard from the Toulouse ace secured the last eight win.
England kept their Under-21 European Championship title defence hopes alive with a battling 3-1 quarter-final win over Spain on Saturday night.
The Young Lions made a shaky start and looked to have conceded a penalty when Diego Lopez's shot struck the arm of Charlie Cresswell, only for referee Simone Sozza to overturn his initial decision following a VAR review.
Lee Carsley's side were buoyed by that reprieve and took the lead in the 10th minute when captain James McAtee swept home the loose ball after Spain failed to deal with a corner.
England doubled their lead five minutes later when goalkeeper Alejandro Iturbe let Jarell Quansah's 25-yard shot squirm away from him, and Liverpool team-mate Harvey Elliott was on hand to tap home the rebound.
The Bayer Leverkusen-linked centre-back then gifted the Spaniards a way back into the game when he stuck out a lazy leg to concede a penalty and Javi Guerra made it 2-1 in the 39th minute.
Cresswell was inches away from restoring their two-goal cushion but ended up firing a header into the side netting soon after the restart. England were indebted to keeper James Beadle around the hour mark when the Brighton youngster made a double save as the defending champions were increasingly put on the back foot.
Tyler Morton and Jack Hinshelwood, especially, missed chances to put the game to bed in the contest's final quarter but substitute Jonathan Rowe then won his side a penalty at the death, and Elliott Anderson dispatched the resulting spotkick.
In a repeat of the final from two years ago, England, who saw Spain's Rafa Marin sent off after the final whistle, came through a stern test to advance to the semi-finals of the competition, where they will face the Netherlands on Wednesday.
GOAL rates England's players from Anton Malatinsky Stadium…
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James Beadle (7/10):
The Brighton goalkeeper made some crucial stops, especially in the second half as Spain threatened to draw level.
Jack Hinshelwood (6/10):
Seemed to struggle at times with Spain's pacey wingers and spurned a glorious opportunity late on but put a decent shift in.
Charlie Cresswell (9/10):
The former Leeds United man made some excellent last-ditch defending under intense and seemed to win every aerial battle. A colossus.
Jarell Quansah (6/10):
Conceded a very soft penalty and looked a bit suspect at the back at times. Needs to improve later in the tournament.
Tino Livramento (8/10):
Was a real threat going forward and made multiple key interceptions in his defensive third.
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Alex Scott (6/10):
Gave the ball away cheaply in the lead-up to Spain's goal, which was against the run of play. But was solid enough.
Tyler Morton (7/10):
The dynamic midfielder showed plenty of quality and go-ahead but sometimes his consistency was lacking a tad.
James McAtee (8/10):
The skipper showed composure when others may have lost their heads for the opener and repeatedly went on driving runs for his side.
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Harvey Elliott (8/10):
The 22-year-old, who has been linked with an Anfield exit, was in the right place at the right time for his goal and was a livewire during his time on the pitch.
Jay Stansfield (7/10):
The Birmingham City striker worked his socks off for his team, both in attack and defence, and led the line really well. However, he couldn't quite work the opening he needed in front of goal.
Omari Hutchinson (5/10):
Showed flashes of quality but didn't have the impact England would have hoped and was substituted early in the second half.
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Elliott Anderson (8/10):
Was neat and tidy when he was introduced into the action in the second half. Took his penalty with ease, too.
Jonathan Rowe (8/10):
His pace and directness provided a timely boost in the second half for England. Plus, he won his side a late penalty.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy (8/10):
The pacey Genoa youngster really put in a team display with powerful runs going forward, while tracking back with regularity.
Hayden Hackney (7/10):
His decision-making was largely spot on.
Ethan Nwaneri (N/A):
Came on for the physically spent Stansfield but didn't have much time to make an impact.
Lee Carsley (7/10):
His team looked disjointed and shaky early on but they recovered well and played some lovely flowing football at times. On the whole, his players' game management was about right and his substitutes largely worked as they knocked out one of the tournament favourites.
