England U21 fell to a 2-1 defeat against Germany in its last group match of the European U21 championship, but still progressed in the quarterfinals as second.
In a match that England saw most of the ball, Ansgar Knauff and Nelson Weiper put two goals in the first half in Germany before the Lee Carsley team ended in the second, pulling one back through Alex Scott.
Despite the result – which saw Germany Top Group B with a maximum of points – the Carsley team enters the last eight where they will meet Spain on Saturday evening in a rehearsal of recent years two years ago.
Slovenia was beaten 2-0 by the Cheche in the other group match, because the luck of an early outing for the winners of 2023 rarely resembled a possibility.
OUR #Younglions progress towards the # U21euro The quarter -finals as finalists in group B, despite the defeat tonight. pic.twitter.com/ogjac1im4x
– England (@england) June 18, 2025
England makes the worst start possible
Germany’s head coach Antonio Di Salvo has made 11 changes to the starting training, safely knowing that his team’s passage to the last eight had already been obtained before kick-off.
And his team has lost a short time in their attempted impression. In three minutes, Lukas Ullrich’s perfect necklace fell on the head of Jarell Quansah at Knuff.
If the first touch of the winger of Francfurt Eintracht was good, his second was sublime, competing the ball in the most distant corner beyond James Beale to give Germany an early advance.
Five minutes later, England approached an equalizer when Ethan Nwaneri’s ball was brilliantly eliminated from practically under the bar by Tim Oermann with Quansah inches to contact the ball.
Omari Hutchinson then fired widely before Jonathan Rowe tires in the lateral net when a first strike seemed the most desirable option.
But despite a promising answer in England after having gone behind, Germany then doubled its advance over 33 minutes when Weiper jumped between Jack Hinshelwood and Charlie Cresswell to superb a head in the area.
The task had suddenly been made all the more difficult for young Lions in Carsley; A projector that came out of the half-time used as a rather appropriate metaphor for decline hopes to finish as winners in group B.
Another perfect first half for our U 21 Squad 🤩 We take an advance of 2-0 on England in the break! 🔥#Dfb #Germanfootball #Germanynt
📸 Thomas Books / DFB pic.twitter.com/gsiwc7uafl
– German football (@dfb_team_en) June 18, 2025
Three resurgent lions in the second period
But qualification for the last eight rarely seemed to be in danger for England. Carsley has made three changes to the break, presenting James McATEE, Jay Stansfield and Brooke Norton-Cuffy.
And, once again, England has largely dominated possession statistics. The Lively Norton-Cuffy struck a tamed effort in the hands of Tjark Ernst before Stansfield hangs out a wide shot after a careful turn in the box.
But the resolved German patient game plan was effective.
It is up to the 76th minute when Hutchinson’s fine work at the bottom of the left resulted in a tap for Scott to make the deficit in half.
Supported by the objective, England jumped forward in search of an equalizer, the head struck by Charlie Cresswell requiring a brilliant backup of Ernst.
But Germany held up to win three victories of three and head to Italy on Sunday. For England, on the other hand, an appointment with a familiar enemy is waiting in Trnava in three days.
