Jonathan Rowe's bedlam-inducing injury-time winner saw England Under-21s retain their European Championship title courtesy of an engrossing 3-2 victory over Germany Under-21s in Bratislava.

Fresh from a man-of-the-match display in the Young Lions' semi-final success over the Netherlands, Liverpool starlet Harvey Elliott made his mark in the final with just five minutes gone, calmly stroking home the opener after a fortunate break of the ball.

Lee Carsley's upbeat men refused to rest on their attacking laurels as the first half progressed, and it did not take long for the reigning champions to take another huge step towards retaining their crown.

With 24 minutes gone, James McAtee's delicate layoff to Omari Hutchinson ended with the Ipswich Town attacker rifling a low finish through Noah Atubolu's legs, before a trademark acrobatic celebration.

Not everything was as rosy as it seemed for England, though, as a devastated Alex Scott was forced off with an injury towards the end of the opening 45, before a powerful header from Nelson Weiper cut the deficit in half.

Reinvigorated thanks to that perfectly-timed response, Antonio Di Salvo's side came out all guns blazing at the start of the second half and got their reward in the 61st minute, as England only half-dealt with a corner and Paul Nebel's stunning strike found the top corner, with the aid of James Beadle's fingertips.

After one final Nebel-inflicted scare when the Mainz 05 man struck the crossbar with seconds remaining, extra time loomed, where Carsley's substitutions proved super as Rowe produced a sumptuous diving header across goal from Tyler Morton's equally exquisite cross in the 92nd minute.

The Young Lions staved off a few scares in the last knockings of the final to trigger unrestrained full-time celebrations, as England celebrated Under-21 Euros glory for the fourth time in their history and won back-to-back titles for the second time after the 1982 and 1984 editions.

Under-21 heroes successfully audition for World Cup in front of Thomas Tuchel

Both England manger Thomas Tuchel and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann took their seats to watch the Under-21s scrap it out, no doubt making some mental notes ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel has been witnessing an England crop that gradually grew in confidence and ruthlessness as the tournament reached its closing stages, a far cry from the side that failed to pull up attacking trees in the group stage.

Tonight, it was Carsley's effervescent midfielders who ran the show, as Elliott - one of a few players in the shop window this summer - sent a loud and clear message to potential suitors and Arne Slot as he maintained his streak of scoring in every knockout match.

Alongside him, James McAtee - another man whose future is the subject of increasing uncertainty - did the captain's armband justice and pulled the strings with pride, while Elliot Anderson was the definition of an unwavering workhorse.

Morton's sumptuous assist for Rowe was just the tip of the iceberg for the Liverpool man, who was also nothing short of sensational in all thirds of the field, and Tuchel is now blessed with the best kind of selection dilemmas following so many successful World Cup 2026 auditions.

Written by
Ben Knapton