Holders England held off a late German comeback and defeated them 3-2 after extra time, in Kiev. Marseille winger Jonathan Rowe came off the bench to score in the final minute of extra time to seal victory for England.
As highlighted in the England U21 Vs Germany U21 Stats, Harvey Elliott and James McAtee both played key roles in England’s early dominance before Germany fought back, with Nelson Weiper pulling one back to spark the comeback attempt.
| Category | England U21 | Germany U21 |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 3 | 2 |
| Possession | 43% | 57% |
| Total Shots | 14 | 16 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 4 |
| Big Chances | 3 | 0 |
| Result | Winner (AET) | Runner-up |
Goals
England have once again secured back-to-back U21 European Championship titles after defeating Germany 3-2 after extra time in Bratislava’s final. Jonathan Rowe’s late header secured victory and ensured Lee Carsley’s side retained their crown won two years earlier.
Young Lions were in complete control for long stretches as they dismantled Germany with quick, incisive attacking football, opening them up. Substitute Brooke Norton-Cuffy was denied by Germany goalkeeper Atubolu when he broke through on goal; however, shortly after halftime he provided Omari Hutchinson with his first of two goals with an assist as Omari shot low across Atubolu into the far corner for Liverpool striker to convert.
McAtee entered the box unchallenged early in the second half, yet his left-foot effort went wide of the post as England sought for a third goal. Di Salvo’s men soon threatened England’s reign for the first time as they began exerting themselves upon proceedings and leveled just before halftime when Nelson Weiper leapt highest to power Paul Nebel’s half-cleared cross past James Beadle for an equaliser.
Germany conceded its first goal of the competition but quickly responded and took the lead when Nebel drilled a low shot into the bottom corner from just inside their box. England were not finished though; substitute Tyler Morton sent an exquisite ball into the area where Rowe easily scored with an unmarked header from close range.
Rowe’s goal secured England their fourth win out of six matches at this stage of the competition and made him only nineth player ever to score four or more goals at any tournament stage – joint third most prolific goal-scorer alongside Manchester City team-mate James Milner and Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck; also setting him on course to score more U21 European Championship goals than any other English player ever before!
Cards
Jonathan Rowe scored England’s 92nd-minute winning goal as Lee Carsley’s side defended their Under-21 European Championship crown with an exciting 3-2 extra time win against Germany in Bratislava. England surrendered an early two-goal advantage through Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson goals after five minutes; their advantage doubled midway through the first half when Omari Hutchinson scored again midway through. England were kept busy throughout with Noah Atubolu making multiple saves against Rowe, Hutchinson and McAtee while Rowe nearly sent it into penalties when his volley hit crossbar during second half stoppage time!
Nick Woltemade was Germany’s top scorer but did not register a shot or threaten the defence, thanks to excellent work by Young Lions Charlie Cresswell and Jarell Quansah in restricting opportunities for them as German attempts at crossing were limited to 44 crosses with just five completed successfully.
Beadle made several outstanding saves throughout the contest, denying Nebel any late equaliser and saving England from falling further behind in extra-time. They can now celebrate their win in Slovakia before commencing Euro 2027 qualifying in September with a home game against Kazakhstan – making this victory the first time England have won three successive UEFA U-21 titles and never having lost in final against a team they previously defeated during group stage play; Germany were last met at European Under-21 Championship final stage back in 1982 where England triumphed again.
Discarded
Not for the first time this year, England experienced heartbreak at youth level against Germany. Their Young Lions fell short in a European Under-21 Championship final at Vitality Stadium and were made to rue missed opportunities.
Aidy Boothroyd’s side appeared to be on course for victory when Davie Selke and Demarai Gray put them 2-1 ahead, but Felix Platte scored with 20 minutes remaining to force extra-time. England could have won it through Lewis Baker, Ben Chilwell or James Ward-Prowse but Nathan Redmond became another penalty shootout villain for England when his feeble attempt was saved by Julian Pollersbeck – familiar to England fans since his role in Euro 96 semi-final heartache at Wembley.
But unlike their team that lost in Bloemfontein last June, this group of young players is eager to turn things around at home in the 2019 U-21 European Championship final and should prove worthy contenders to retain their crown.
England quickly emerged victorious following their opening regular-time match, thanks to two strikes from Abraham and Luke Cranie that enabled them to gain the upper hand in the late stages. Calum Chambers may have accidentally clipped Selke in the box but referee waived away any protests as England won.
England will remain buoyed by their loss to defending champions Spain despite this result, as they will have the chance to redeem themselves at home against Belgium in 2023 in an important final match-up. It was for the first time ever that England lost in a final to a team they played earlier in the tournament and manager Boothroyd will no doubt want to avoid this happening again by winning seven group matches and reaching this stage successfully next time around.
Stefan Kuntz will recall with great clarity Germany’s humiliating defeat at Euro 96 semi-final level and be keen to ensure there is no repeat in 2016. Germany are widely considered one of the greatest generations at Under-21 level and this campaign they have shown incredible consistency and growth.
Substitutions
England Under-21s secured their European title with an exciting extra-time win against Germany on Monday evening, thanks to a late goal by substitute Jonathan Rowe two minutes after coming on as sub in Bratislava that proved decisive in Lee Carsley’s side’s two goal lead slipping away to an opponent they had only fallen twice before in this tournament – Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund. England only conceded two goals against these Bundesliga champs all tournament, before holding on with just enough effort against Bratislava until Rowe made his late comeback to seal victory over his former opponent on Wednesday evening!
Liverpool defender Harvey Elliott opened the scoring after five minutes with a powerful strike from close range, before Omari Hutchinson doubled their advantage before half-time with another superb effort set up by Derby County midfielder James McAtee of Derby County midfielder. But Germany managed to come back into contention when Nelson Weiper scored his header from Paul Nebel’s cross in injury time of the first half – giving Germany one goal back.
Carsley made two changes at half time, introducing Elliot Anderson and Jack Cork from Nottingham Forest, who immediately provided England with a spark with their deliveries from right flank, creating opportunities. McAtee nearly produced an equaliser with his exquisite dummy but his shot missed its target by inches.
England made an admirable effort in their comeback against Germany; however, they were ultimately unable to break Tjark Ernst in the final 10 minutes of normal time, with Bayern Munich goalkeeper Tjark Ernst making an important save to deny Rowe a shot with his sharp save of Rowe’s header.
After extra-time had begun, both teams had opportunities to win the match; but Rowe eventually broke through by hitting an outstanding volley from Tyler Morton’s inviting corner and winning it with one swing of his bat.
England secured their perfect record in this tournament by defeating Italy. Additionally, this win marked their first ever major tournament final victory against a side they had lost against earlier. England captain Ian Carsley could barely contain his joy at winning this final; he celebrated wildly alongside the England players after hearing its full-time whistle – it was truly fitting that such an amazing turnaround occurred from last campaign when England finished bottom of their group!