England's U21 team retained their U21 European Championship title in a nail-biting final against Germany's U21 team in Bratislava. The Young Lions, who won the tournament in 2023, repeated the feat almost two years later, mirroring the nation's victories in 1982 and 1984.
The victory came just ten days after England had lost 2-1 to the same opposition in the group stages. The match was a gripping affair, with barely a moment to catch your breath. Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson put England 2-0 up inside 25 minutes, but it was 2-2 just after the hour, with goals from Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel sending the game to extra-time.
Antonio di Salvo's Germany almost won it at the end of the 90 minutes, with a shot that struck the crossbar. However, it was England who scored inside the first two minutes of extra-time, with Jonathan Rowe's third touch as a substitute the one that sealed a historic win.
Jonathan Rowe, who was introduced as a substitute, spoke about his mindset during the game. "Everyone is exceptional. From the minute I came into the camp, I could just tell everyone had the same mindset; we all wanted to win," he said. "We've done that now - the job's finally finished and we can all celebrate!"
England boss Lee Carsley was proud of his players, saying, "I'm really proud of the players. The commitment they've shown for the last 28 days, all the instruction we've tried to put into them so quickly, they've taken it on board and they've got so much belief." He added, "I'm so happy for them. To be European champions for the second time is a great achievement and the challenge now is to do it again in two years."
This victory marks a significant milestone for England's U21 team and sets the stage for the challenge of defending their title in two years.
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