Bratislava (UEFA.com) – Both England and Germany are on the hunt for their fourth UEFA European Under-21 Championship title. England are aiming to defend their crown from the 2023 edition, while Germany are set to play in their fourth final in the last five tournaments. The two sides already met in the group stage, where Germany came out on top.
The first semifinal in Bratislava between England and the Netherlands kicked off with high energy and intensity. Despite several chances, the first half ended goalless, largely thanks to solid goalkeeping on both sides. England looked more composed in possession, but Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs denied Harvey Elliott twice with excellent saves.
The breakthrough came after the interval. In the 62nd minute, Liverpool’s Premier League winner Harvey Elliott opened the scoring after a slick exchange with Elliot Anderson. Elliott’s precise low shot found the bottom corner to give Lee Carsley’s side a deserved lead.
But the Netherlands hit back in spectacular fashion. In the 72nd minute, Noah Ohio stunned the stadium with a thunderous strike from 40 meters out that soared past the English keeper.
With the match seemingly headed for extra time, Elliott stepped up again. In the 86th minute, he danced past two defenders and fired a composed finish from the edge of the box to secure England’s place in the final. His two-goal performance earned him the Player of the match award. England will now look to defend their title from the previous tournament held in Georgia and Romania.
The second semifinal in Košice saw Germany take on France in a match that few expected to be so one-sided. Germany struck early, with Nelson Weiper netting his third goal of the tournament in the 8th minute after reacting quickest to a rebound from Paul Nebel’s shot off the bar.
Just six minutes later, top scorer Nick Woltemade doubled the lead, finishing off a precise attack to register his sixth goal of the competition. Within 14 minutes, Germany had one foot in the final.
France tried to respond but struggled to create serious chances in the first half. After the break, they improved and forced German keeper Noah Atubolu into two key saves, both from substitute Thierno Barry.
Germany’s passage to the final was sealed in added time when Brajan Gruda scored from close range following a cut-back from Paul Wanner. This marks Germany’s sixth final appearance in U21 EURO history and their fourth in the last five tournaments.
The final will be played on Saturday, 28 June at 21:00 CET in Bratislava.
England 2–1 Netherlands (0–0)
Goals: 63', 86' Elliott
Germany 3–0 France (2–0)
Goals: 8' Weiper, 14' Woltemade, 90+3' Gruda
