It was a tough task against a formidable German side in Nitra, with England going down 2-1 to knock them out at the group stage. A disappointing exit in the end, but they did well to reach the quarter-finals of the Under-21 European Championship. It’s why they exited the World Cup as runners-up in Group B.
In a contest that claimed to start badly for Lee Carsley’s team, England fell behind within three minutes of kick-off. German forward Ansgar Knauff punished a moment of defensive hesitation, putting Plymouth’s Jarell Quansah on the back foot before calmly slotting home the winner. Just minutes after the opening goal, Nelson Weiper doubled Germany’s lead, putting England in a very deep hole to start.
Unable to execute their game, England’s frustration was reflected in their shaky play on the defensive end. For much of the first half, they couldn’t get a grasp on the game and were punished as Germany took advantage of their errors. Yet, the squad managed a strong second-half response, netting a number of shots that nearly earned the equalizer. Charlie Cresswell came close to a goal of his own only for his header to be saved by German keeper Tjark Ernst. Forwards Harvey Elliott and Elliot Anderson both had clear chances to score later in the match. Elliott’s venomous effort flew over the bar, and Ernst was required to make a low stop to deny Anderson.
In a dramatic late comeback, England scored! It was Scott, who notched up his first senior goal for City after tapping in a brilliant cross from Omari Hutchinson with only 14 minutes left. Sadly, this proved to be too little too late for England. They failed to duplicate the miraculous comeback their under-19 team pulled off earlier this year against Germany, coming back from a 5-1 hole.
The loss served as a bittersweet homecoming for Lee Carsley in his first match as England under-21s head coach. However, despite the defeat Carsley’s squad were already through and will now face Spain in the quarter-finals. They will look to continue their efforts from earlier tournaments and brush aside the individual defensive lapses that have plagued them during the tournament.
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