That’s all from me! I’ll leave you with Ed Aarons’ match report from Bratislava. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
The moment England fans have been waiting for…
Togetherness. Belief. Desire. #U21EURO European Champions. #YoungLions, you've done us proud ❤️
— England (@England) June 28, 2025
Harvey Elliott has just picked up his trophy after being named Player of the Tournament.
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England have retained their European title with a dramatic win over Germany in Slovakia. The Young Lions suffered quite the fright when their opponents battled back from 2-0 down, but super-sub Jonathan Rowe – helped by a stunning Tyler Morton cross – made an instant impact to give England the lead once again just moments into extra time. What a night for Lee Carsley and his team!
FULL-TIME AET: England 3-2 Germany
England are Under-21 European champions once again!
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120+1 min: Germany rattle the crossbar AGAIN! This time, Röhl goes for the volley from the edge of the box and hits the woodwork!
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120 min: Two minutes added on…
119 min: Reitz makes his way into the box before attempting a low-driven shot, but his effort runs wide. You can almost feel the sigh of relief from England.
118 min: Germany are throwing absolutely everything at this now. Ullrich crosses the ball into the box and Tresoldi attempts to go for the shot, but it is intercepted. Corner Germany.
115 min: Beadle is booked for time-wasting as we enter the final five minutes of the match.
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114 min: England have a corner, but Iling-Junior passes short to Rowe, who attempts to hold it in the corner. The Young Lions eventually manage to get a throw-in.
113 min: Iling-Junior is booked for a challenge on Collins.
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110 min: Germany are pressing high once again, with all-but two England players behind the ball. Nwaneri is eventually able to make the clearance, relieving the pressure.
108 min: Rowe looks to apply the pressure on Ullrich in the Germany defence but the full-back is able to draw a foul.
ET HALF-TIME: England 3-2 Germany
England have a narrow advantage as we go into the last 15 minutes of this final.
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105+1 min: The ball is passed into Reitz just inside the box, who takes it well on his back foot and swiftly turns before going for goal. However, his effort flies over the crossbar.
104 min: Germany have a corner and the ball is sent into the box, but the Young Lions can head it clear.
102 min: Germany are pushing for the equaliser as we approach the final few minutes of this first half in added time. They continue to press the England defence high.
98 min: England make double change with Hutchinson making way for Samuel Iling-Junior and CJ Egan-Riley, who is making his first appearance at this tournament, on for Anderson.
97 min: Another change for Germany as captain Martel is replaced by Nicolò Tresoldi.
94 min: Just before the break, Germany also made a change with Lukas Ullrich replacing Brown.
93 min: Morton sends a fantastic cross deep into the box and Rowe is there to flick it into the bottom-left corner!
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GOAL! England 3-2 Germany (Jonathan Rowe, 92)
Super-sub Rowe makes an instant impact!
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91 min: England have made two changes, with Ethan Nwaneri replacing McAtee and Jonathan Rowe on for Elliott.
ET KICK-OFF: England 2-2 Germany
We’re back under way for the first half of extra time.
FULL-TIME: England 2-2 Germany
We go to extra time…
90+4 min: Germany go on the attack and Nebel picks up the ball on the edge of the box. He goes for goal, and his effort rattles the crossbar after taking a deflection! What a chance!
90+3 min: The ball is played over the Germany defence to McAtee on the left, who looks to chip the ball inside, but Germany can clear.
90+1 min: We’re into four minutes of added time…
90 min: The ball is played to the side from the free kick before Livramento looks to chip it into the box. Germany can make the clearance with ease.
89 min: Hutchinson is fouled by Collins on the left and England have a free kick inside the Germany half…
87 min: Elliott goes for goal from just outside the box, but his effort is blocked. Three minutes of regular time to play.
84 min: Germany head straight to the other end of the pitch after that England chance and this time Nebel goes for a long-range strike. His effort is dragged wide.
83 min: Morton goes for an audacious shot from the edge of the box and his effort soars over the crossbar.
81 min: Huge chance for England! Hutchinson squares a pass across the edge of the penalty area to Norton-Cuffy, who goes for goal. The winger’s shot is tame, however, and Atubolu is able to make the save with relative ease.
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79 min: Another change for Germany as Merlin Röhl replaces goalscorer Weiper.
76 min: Cresswell makes an important challenge to stop Nebel from breaking forward. Just under 15 minutes of normal time left to play.
73 min: Antonio Di Salvo makes his first change of the match with Ansgar Knauff, who scored against England last week, on to replace Gruda.
71 min: Livramento makes a direct run into the box before possession is taken over by Elliott. The midfielder appears to hesitate before chipping a cross into the centre, but nobody is there to go for the shot.
69 min: Anderson does well to make his way into the box and just about completes a short pass to Hutchinson, but Germany can clear the danger before the shot is taken.
66 min: Lee Carsley has responded to that equaliser by making a substitution. Stansfield is replaced by Brooke Norton-Cuffy.
64 min: That goal was coming for Germany. As expected, they came into this second half with much more confidence thanks to that late first-half goal. England haven’t really had too much of a look-in at all over the last 20 minutes.
62 min: Germany have a corner and Reitz sends the ball into the box. Cresswell looks to flick it clear but the ball instead falls to Nebel on the other side of the area. The winger has plenty of time to tee himself up for the shot before unleashing an effort straight into the top-tight corner. Beadle gets his fingertips to it, but it’s not enough to keep the shot out. It’s all level!
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GOAL! England 2-2 Germany (Paul Nebel, 61)
Nebel fires Germany level with a stunning strike!
60 min: Germany are really piling on the pressure now as a low-driven cross is drilled into the England box. Anderson manages to get there to make the block just in time.
57 min: Germany break forward on the counter attack and Nebel goes for goal from around 15 yards out. His effort is fairly tame, however, and it is a relatively easy save for Beadle.
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55 min: Germany make their way into the box and there are some relatively quiet appeals for a penalty after Martel goes to ground following a soft challenge from Anderson. The referee does not entertain the claims as expected.
52 min: Livramento plays the ball inside to McAtee in midfield, who drops a shoulder to move past Reitz. He continues his run forward before looking to place his shot into the bottom-right corner, but his effort runs millimetres past the post.
49 min: Morton loses possession to Woltemade in midfield and the Germany striker breaks forward. After playing the ball out to Nebel on the left side of the box, it eventually comes back out to Weiper, whose shot deflects off McAtee, making it easy for Beadle to claim.
47 min: Hinshelwood comes charging forward before attempting to split the Germany defence with a pass through to Hutchinson, but his effort is cut out by Collins.
KICK-OFF: England 2-1 Germany
We’re back under way!
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Following the opening goal, Colum Fordham emailed in from Naples to say:
“What a wonderful start for Lee Carsley’s team. So pleased that Harvey Elliot has continued his super run of form. Hope Arne Slot is taking due note and will make Elliot a key member of the first team next season as he hardly ever got a start.”
HALF-TIME: England 2-1 Germany
England have the lead, but that late goal will give Germany a huge confidence boost going into the second half.
45+2 min: Nebel sends a cross into the centre of the box and Weiper is there to fire the ball into the net with a bullet header! Game on!
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GOAL! England 2-1 Germany (Nelson Weiper, 45+1)
Weiper gets one back for Germany on the brink of half-time!
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43 min: That yellow card challenge was, indeed, Scott’s last involvement in this final. He limps off the pitch and is replaced by Tyler Morton.
42 min: Scott, who has been struggling with a knock for the last few minutes, is booked for a challenge on Woltemade. That looks to be his final involvement in the match.
39 min: England capitalise on a lapse in concentration from Germany and break away on the attack. Hutchinson receives the ball on the left before playing it inside to McAtee, who goes for goal with his first touch and forces a save from Atubolu.
36 min: Martel is booked for a heavy challenge on Scott.
34 min: Another chance for England as Livramento plays a clever pass inside from the right-back position to Stansfield, who looks to move it on to Hutchinson in the box. The linesman eventually puts his flag up for an offside.
32 min: Hutchinson looks for his second as he receives the ball on the left before attempting to curl a shot into the bottom-right corner. His effort takes a deflection and runs behind, but the referee gives a goal kick.
30 min: England have to be careful when playing out from the back, with Germany continuing to apply a high press. So far, the Young Lions have managed it very well, repeatedly triggering the counter attack and tearing their opposition apart.
28 min: Woltemade tries to make his way deep into the box before attempting to square a pass across goal. His effort is eventually blocked and Germany have a corner. Nothing comes of the set-piece.
25 min: The ball is played through to McAtee on the edge of the box, who struggles to control it at first. He somehow manages to avoid a challenge and is able to play a short pass out to Hutchinson on the left, who slots his shot through the legs of Atubolu and into the net! What a start for England!
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GOAL! England 2-0 Germany (Omari Hutchinson, 24)
Hutchinson makes it two… and celebrates with a backflip! England have one hand on the trophy!
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22 min: Germany have a free kick on the right. The ball is crossed into the box and Woltemade runs onto it. The striker flicks his headed effort towards goal, but is way off-target. The linesman then puts his flag up to call for offside.
18 min: A huge chance for England to make it two! Anderson kicks off a counter attack by sending Elliott on a run through the middle. The midfielder plays the ball to McAtee on the left side of the Germany box, who selflessly squares it across the face of goal to Stansfield, but the striker doesn’t appear prepared for it and fails to reach for the tap-in!
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16 min: Martel narrowly avoids a booking after a late sliding challenge on Anderson just outside the England box.
13 min: Anderson draws a foul from his defender and wins a free kick in a dangerous area. The midfielder steps up to take it and sends a cross deep into the box. Cresswell rises up to head it towards goal but his effort is off-target.
12 min: That early goal has given the Young Lions plenty of confidence. They are looking very composed on the ball with barely any nerves showing.
9 min: A Germany cross is sent into the England box and Hinshelwood does well to deal with it, bringing the ball down with his chest for Beadle to claim.
6 min: Hutchinson goes for goal from close range with the outside of his boot, forcing a save from Atubolu. It deflects back out to Collins, who looks to clear the danger, but instead the ball falls straight to Elliott on the edge of the six-yard box. The midfielder does well to find a small gap in the defence, perfectly slotting his shot into the bottom-right corner!
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GOAL! England 1-0 Germany (Harvey Elliott, 5)
The Liverpool man strikes again! England have an early lead!
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4 min: Hutchinson looks to play a cross deep into the box, but nobody is there to get on the end of it and Germany win back possession.
2 min: England look to move forward as Hinshelwood plays a pass through to Hutchinson on the wing, but he is quickly closed down by Collins.
KICK-OFF
We’re under way in Bratislava!
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The teams are out. The national anthems have been sung. The U21 European Championship final is just a few moments away!
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With the final just a matter of moments away, Ben McAleer has looked at the top 10 standout players from this summer’s U21 European Championship in Slovakia - with four finalists included.
As I briefly mentioned earlier, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann are both in attendance this evening. England senior head coach Tuchel has flown over from the USA after watching Manchester City’s 5-2 win over Juventus on Thursday. Young Lions captain James McAtee believes that his presence will give England a boost in the final. The midfielder said: “I think it would be an extra motivation for the lads to win and more of a reason to try and impress the first team manager.”
David Kent has emailed in, perhaps starting a debate about who should have the senior England head coach role for next summer’s World Cup. He says:
“Given Tuchel’s shaky start as head coach of the seniors, I think if the Under 21s win this then the FA should strongly consider promoting Lee Carsley before the World Cup. Two international tournament wins is hugely impressive and you get the feeling Carsley learned from his interim experience. Tuchel seems to be taking us backward, do we really still need to be relying on Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker in 2025? I think not. Let’s show some faith in English coaching and give Carsley a chance.”
Thoughts?
It turns out that behind the quiet demeanour, Lee Carsley is much more confident than often comes across. After England Under-21s lost to Germany in their final group match of the European Championship last week – a result that meant both teams progressed to the quarter-finals – the manager sought out his opposite number, Antonio Di Salvo. “He said that they would see us in the final,” revealed the German…
During his pre-match press conference, the England head coach Lee Carsley revealed that he felt his team’s second-half performance against Germany earlier in the tournament was a turning point. He explained: “After the game, I was more than confident that this team had clicked and we were in a good position. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek. I thought that we’d be there. I wasn’t sure if they would be there. I was confident that we were going to do well in this tournament. I’ve got a lot of belief in this team.
“I knew the second half against Germany, we clicked. In the first half, it would be fair to say, especially the first 20 minutes, we did not play well…”
England U21s have won the European Championship three times already - in 1982, 1984 and, most recently, in 2023. You might be wondering what those title-winning players went on to achieve following their respective victories, but look no further. Connor Myers has looked back at every England player who has lifted the trophy, from Tommy Caton and Terry Fenwick to Curtis Jones and Cole Palmer.
As always, feel free to email me this evening with any thoughts, feelings, opinions, predictions and all that jazz. Where are you watching/reading from? You might be tuning in from Glastonbury, or your back garden - either way, I want to hear from you!
Team news
England starting line-up: James Beadle; Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah, Charlie Cresswell, Jack Hinshelwood; Harvey Elliott, Alex Scott, Elliot Anderson, Omari Hutchinson; James McAtee (C), Jay Stansfield. Substitutes: Ronnie Edwards, Hayden Hackney, Tom Fellows, Jonathan Rowe, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Tommy Simkin, Archie Gray, CJ Egan-Riley, Samuel Iling-Junior, Ethan Nwaneri, Teddy Sharman-Lowe, Tyler Morton.
Germany starting line-up: Noah Atubolu; Nnamdi Collins, Nathaniel Brown, Bright Arrey-Mbi, Tim Oermann; Brajan Gruda, Eric Martel (C), Rocco Reitz, Paul Nebel; Nelson Weiper, Nick Woltemade. Substitutes: Tjark Ernst, Nahuel Noll, Max Rosenfelder, Ansgar Knauff, Merlin Röhl, Nicolo Tresoldi, Jan Thielmann, Lukas Ullrich, Jamil Siebert, Caspar Jander, Elias Baum, Paul Wanner.
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Preamble
Hello, good evening and welcome to coverage of the European Under-21 Championship final! Reigning champions England face Germany in Bratislava tonight with both teams eyeing their fourth title. These two sides faced each other just last Wednesday, with Germany clinching a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Ansgar Knauff and Nelson Weiper. However, the Young Lions head coach Lee Carsley is confident that his team can bounce back and take revenge when it most matters.
Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann - the head coaches of the respective nations’ senior men’s teams - will both be in attendance at Tehelné Pole later this evening, scouting potential talent for next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The question is, who will be celebrating at the end of the night?
Kick-off is at 8pm BST - you don’t want to miss it!
