England have reached the knockout stage of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, finishing second in Group B, even though they lost 2-1 to Germany. The result means Germany stay unbeaten in 18 matches.
Germany had already qualified before the match and made 11 changes to their starting line-up. Despite the changes, they started strongly and scored just three minutes in. Ansgar Knauff controlled a high ball from Lukas Ullrich and calmly finished past James Beadle.
England had more possession in the first half but didn’t create many clear chances. Germany doubled their lead when Knauff crossed for Nelson Weiper, who headed in his first goal for the U21s.
At half-time, England boss Lee Carsley made three substitutions to try and turn the game around. He also knew that a goal in the other group match between Slovenia and the Czech Republic could affect England’s chances. Luckily, the Czech team, already out of the tournament, took a two-goal lead early in the second half, giving England some breathing space.
The match lacked urgency, and both teams struggled to create chances until Omari Hutchinson dribbled into the box and set up Alex Scott, who scored his first U21 goal with 14 minutes left. That gave England hope, and Charlie Cresswell later forced a good save from German goalkeeper Tjark Ernst, but they couldn’t find an equaliser.
Germany finish top of Group B with three wins from three and will face Italy in the next round. England, who have now reached the knockouts for the second tournament in a row, something they haven’t done since 2007 and 2009, will face Spain on Saturday. The Young Lions have only won two of their last seven matches in all competitions.
