England will play Spain in the quarter-final of the European Championship under 21 after being beaten 2-1 by Germany in their last group match in Slovakia to finish the finalists of Group B.
Lee Carsley’s team needed a victory in Nitra to move to direct elimination first, but despite the already qualified Germany bringing 11 changes, the reigning champions had trouble winning and conceded the two goals in the first half.
An excellent finish by Eintracht Frankfurt winger, Ansgar Knauff and a head of striker Nelson Weipe, of Massez, sent the 2023 winners to defeat and let them face the favorites of the tournament on Saturday – which they beat in the last two years – in Trnava on Saturday.
Alex Scott de Bournemouth typed at home 14 minutes from the time of the cross of Omari Hutchinson to do it 2-1, but they could not imitate the return of 5-1 below produced by their counterparts under 19 against Germany on Tuesday.
However, the defeat of Slovenia against the Czech Republic in the other game in group was enough to ensure the passage of England.
England U21 Boss Lee Carsley
England was late after only three minutes. Lukas Ullrich picked up a beautiful diagonal ball in the box that derived on the head of the defender of Liverpool Jarell Quansah, who was caught flat, and Knuffs shot it wonderfully before launching it with the outside of its right boot beyond James Beadle.
It was 2-0 before half-time and the bad defense cost in England. This time, Knuff was the supplier, swinging in a cross to the edge of the six -meter box where Weiper jumped between Charlie Cresswell and Jack Hinshelwood, beating the two defenders to the ball and sending an imposing head in the area.
Harvey Elliott exploded on the crossbar of the interior of the surface towards the end of the first half while the Carsley team was looking for a way to come back before the break, then Elliot Anderson was refused by a stifling low stop of the goalkeeper Tjark Ernst.
The last minute of half was played in partial darkness after a projector failed inside the Pod Zoborom stadium.
The problem was repaired at halftime, but England found that their problems were a less simple solution, having difficulty putting pressure on Germany despite three Carsley changes at the interval.
Hinshelwood had a chance of gold to reduce the arrears in the 74th minute, but was bad his head by six meters and sent her by sailing on the bar. Scott then gave hope in England when he turned the Hutchinson ball on the line.
Ernst saved Cresswell’s head brilliantly while Carsley’s team fought with Gamely, but in vain for a point.
