England denied in epic shoot-out

Holland 1 England 1 (after extra-time, Holland win 13-12 on penalties): Stuart Pearce suffered more penalty misery as England…

Holland 1 England 1(after extra-time, Holland win 13-12 on penalties): Stuart Pearce suffered more penalty misery as England Under-21s lost a marathon shoot-out to Holland in the semi-final of the European Championship.

Leroy Lita had put Pearce's youngsters ahead in Heerenveen but Maceo Rigters levelled with an overhead kick with a minute remaining to set up extra-time and penalties.

In a clinical shoot-out, players had to take penalties twice and Anton Ferdinand's miss ultimately allowed the holders and hosts to win a 32-kick contest 13-12.

Pearce lost twice as a player in the last four, both on penalties, and this defeat as a coach was every bit as dramatic.

Reo-Coker, Justin Hoyte and Matt Derbyshire missed for England, with Drenthe, Arnold Kruiswijk and De Ridder failing for Holland.

But Ferdinand's miss proved most costly, with Gianni Zuiverloon netting his second spot-kick of the shoot-out to win it for the Dutch.

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