Germany's U21 dream collapses in the final: England becomes European champions!

Germany's U21 dream collapses in the final: England becomes European champions!

Yesterday, June 28, 2025, Germany lost to England 2-3 after extra time in the final of the U21 European Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia. This ended the dream of a fourth title for the German team, which had previously shone in an exciting tournament and had five wins in five games. The German U21s played an impressive role with strong performances in the quarter-finals, where they beat Italy 3-2 after extra time, and a clear 3-0 win over France in the semi-finals.

The game started well for England, who were also aiming for their fourth title. Harvey Elliott gave the British the lead in the 5th minute. Just a short time later, in the 24th minute, Omari Hutchinson made it 2-0. However, Germany got back into the game: Nelson Weiper scored the next goal in injury time of the first half (45th + 1 minute), followed by Paul Nebel, who equalized the game in the 61st minute. However, the final chord belonged to England: Jonathan Rowe scored the decisive goal in the 92nd minute of extra time to make it 3-2.

An exciting finale with unfortunate moments

What a dramatic finale! The German team was also unlucky when Nebel hit the crossbar in injury time of regular time and Merlin Röhl in extra time. The pressure was clearly noticeable as both teams fought intensely for the title. Germany, under the leadership of coach Antonio Di Salvo, showed character and fighting spirit, but ultimately could not turn the deficit into a victory.

In the run-up to the game there had been a lot of discussion about the fact that England and Germany met in the group stage and Germany won 2-1. In the Prior statistics at the U21 European Championships, the two nations are almost on par: England won five of the 13 duels so far, while Germany was only victorious three times and five matches ended in a draw.

The path to the final

Despite the disappointment in the final, there are a lot of positive things to take away from the German team. Germany were the tournament's highest-scoring team with a total of 15 goals, led by Nick Woltemade, who won the top scorer title with six goals. Even though they didn't take home the title this time, the performance shown by the U21s in this tournament ensured that they will be highly regarded in international football in the future.

Despite the defeat, coach Antonio Di Salvo will continue to rely on the talents that have shown themselves here and work towards future success. Meanwhile, Harvey Elliott was crowned player of the tournament and put in a strong performance with five goals. For England, under coach Thomas Tuchel, this title will certainly be seen as a further step towards a successful future, both for the team and for English football as a whole.

All in all, this U21 European Championship was an impressive event. UEFA has been organizing this important championship since 1978 and offers the players a valuable stage for their future careers - whether at national or international level. The next tournament in 2027 will show how the two teams can demonstrate their skills again, because after all, in football there is always hope for a repeat!