England beat Germany in extra time to win the U21 Euros | OneFootball

England edged past Germany 3-2 in a thrilling Under-21 European Championship final in Slovakia, retaining the title they lifted two years ago in Georgia.

The Young Lions got off to a flying start when Harvey Elliott calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner within the opening five minutes.

Omari Hutchinson added a second midway through the first half, firing through the legs of German keeper Noah Atubolu after a clever assist from skipper James McAtee.

Lee Carsley’s side looked in complete control and came close to adding a third, with Hutchinson curling just wide after 30 minutes. But just before the break, Germany pulled one back - Nelson Weiper rising highest to power a header past James Beadle and make it 2-1.

Germany upped the pressure after the interval, throwing more players forward in search of a leveller. They got their reward on the hour mark when Paul Nebel found space in the box and curled in the equaliser, with a slight deflection helping it past Beadle.

As the match went into extra time, Carsley turned to his bench and it paid off straight away. Jonathan Rowe, brought on moments earlier, pounced on a brilliant delivery from Tyler Morton and nodded home with his first touch.

England had to dig deep in the closing stages, but held firm to secure the win and clinch back-to-back European titles at U21 level.