England’s Under-21s have progressed to the quarter-finals of the European Championship despite a 2-1 loss to Germany in their final group-stage match on Wednesday.
The Young Lions will now face Group A winners Spain on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals.
A much-changed Germany side, who had already secured their place in the knockout stages as group winners, took an early lead after just three minutes. Jarell Quansah was caught out by a long ball, allowing Ansgar Knauff to control and drill a shot into the bottom corner. Nelson Weiper then doubled Germany’s advantage before halftime, heading in between two defenders.
Lee Carsley’s England side, who had earned four points from their opening two games, pulled a goal back in the second half. Chelsea’s Omari Hutchinson produced a moment of quality out wide, delivering a ball for Bristol City’s Alex Scott to tap in from close range. Despite pushing for an equaliser, England could not find a second goal but advanced as group runners-up nonetheless.
The performance, however, will raise questions as they head into the knockout phase. While England dominated possession for long periods, they struggled to create clear-cut chances against the German defence, lacking the clinical edge to turn their control of the ball into goals.
They will now face a formidable Spain side that topped a group containing Italy, and will likely need a significantly improved performance to keep their championship hopes alive.
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