How England rewrote history books to defend their Euro U21 crown

England became the first nation since Spain in 2013 to defend their UEFA European Under-21 Championship title last night.

Lee Carsley’s side squeezed past Germany 3-2 after extra time to lift their fourth title in the competition.

Fans witnessed a thrilling showdown as the Germans hauled back an early two-goal deficit to take the game to extra time.

However, Olympique Marseille forward Jonathan Rowe scored with his first touch of the ball to seal the Young Lions’ triumph.

He helped his country uphold an excellent record in this fixture, with England winning four of their five appearances in the Euro U21 finals.

Senior team manager Thomas Tuchel was in the stands watching Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott crown his stellar tournament form with an early deadlock-breaker.

Despite finishing second to Nick Woltemade in the Golden Boot race, Elliott earned the prestigious ‘Player of the Tournament’ award. He could be in line for a call-up to the senior squad.

The same goes for the final’s MVP, James McAtee, who delivered a commanding performance in midfield and could also be in contention for a senior call-up ahead of next summer’s competition.

Let’s look at England’s road to the title.

Group stage

England enjoyed a straightforward qualifying run, netting a competition-high 41 goals en route to the final tournament.

After a comfortable 3-1 win over Czechia in their opening Group B outing, it looked like it would be plain sailing for the Young Lions.

Few people predicted that Carsley’s charges would flop in their two remaining fixtures, starting with a tepid 0-0 draw against host nation Slovakia.

Bournemouth star Alex Scott made sure they didn’t record back-to-back blanks, scoring a late consolation goal in a 2-1 defeat to Germany in the Group B finale.

As a result, the Young Lions had to settle for a runner-up finish, beating the Czechs to the last qualifying spot by the skin of their teeth.

Knockout phase

England’s form in the group stage rendered them pre-match outsiders heading into their quarter-final tie against pre-tournament favourites Spain.

However, Carsley’s side swept La Roja aside in a dominant 3-1 win at the City Arena Trnava, with McAtee and Elliott inspiring them to a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes.

Elliot Anderson’s penalty in second-half stoppage time sealed the victory and put England into the semi-final.

They were bookmakers’ favourites, but the Netherlands gave the Young Lions a run for their money in a nerve-wracking last-four tie.

England needed Elliott to reach into his bag of tricks to navigate their way past the Dutch.

The 22-year-old notched a second-half brace, including an 86th-minute winner to secure a dramatic 2-1 win.

When Elliott and Omari Hutchinson fired England to a 2-0 lead within 24 minutes of the final, it looked like it would be a walk in the park for the reigning champions.

Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel had other ideas as they forced extra time, only for Rowe to dash Germany’s dreams with a tournament-winning strike.

England have become the first nation to defend the Euro U21 title on two occasions and now have the chance to emulate Italy, who racked up a hat-trick between 1992 and 1996.