England 0-1 Germany
A shooting chance for England number nine Jonathan Rowe, who plays his club football in France for Marseille, but the angle was too tight and the shot was the wrong choice.
He could only send the ball into the side netting when a pass was the better option.
England 0-1 Germany
Stephen Warnock
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
A great shoulder barge in centre midfield against Elliot Anderson, who hit the deck.
There was space in behind for Ansgar Knauff to run into.
Charlie Cresswell did well, he didn't fall for the Cruyff-turn.
England 0-1 Germany
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter at the Nitra Stadium
Charlie Cresswell just played a long clipped ball forward which Germany headed away.
Lee Carsley then told him to calm down and keep the ball. The England U21 head coach prefers his side to build up with possession.
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland 0-1 Germany
Image source, Getty ImagesAnsgar Knauff only needed three minutes to get a goal today, and it's not the first time he has netted early against an English side.
He scored after only 49 seconds for Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against West Ham back in April 2022.
Eintracht went on to win 2-1 in that match and 3-1 on aggregate, with Knauff playing in the final as the Germans beat Rangers on penalties to win the trophy.
#bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Bob: England U21s already 0-1 down to Germany. I've had eKnauff of this already.
Image source, ReutersEngland 0-1 Germany
Bright from England again. Forest's Elliot Anderson plays it to Omari Hutchinson of Ipswich Town, but he's forced wide and from a tight angle his strike is deflected off German defender Elias Baum and straight into the hands of Tjark Ernst.
England 0-1 Germany
Stephen Warnock
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
The best we have seen from England all tournament.
The only thing that was lacking was the ball from Ethan Nwaneri at the end.
He made it difficult for Jarell Quansah to get a touch on it.
England 0-1 Germany
Almost a quick response from England. It is played well and Ethan Nwaneri fires it low and hard from the left with a sliding Jarell Quansah in the middle.
But just before he could finish into the net, Tim Oermann makes a superb sliding challenge to send the ball over his own bar. He gets some well deserved high fives after an excellent piece of defending.
A promising sign for England though.
England 0-1 Germany
Stephen Warnock
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
Image source, ReutersThe ball is absolutely sensational. It catches Jarell Quansah out.
The first touch from Ansgar Knauff. He makes sure he gets good contact on it.
Then the strike on it - no chance for James Beadle.
England 0-1 Germany
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter at the Nitra Stadium
That's a really well worked goal by Germany. It's a great ball by Lukas Ullrich and finished well by Ansgar Knauff.
It was dropped perfectly over the head of Jarell Quansah and a really confident finish.
England had been moving the ball well before that.
Ansgar Knauff
Image source, ReutersGermany have made 11 changes but they're the ones who take the lead after only three minutes.
Elliot Anderson can't hold on to the ball in the middle of the pitch and Germany capitalise.
The ball is crossed from deep and it goes over the head of Liverpool's Jarell Quansah and Ansgar Knauff takes an excellent touch to control the ball and his second touch sees him shoot past James Beadle in the England goal.
England 0-0 Germany
Stephen Warnock
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
Ethan Nwaneri, he is playing on the right-hand-side and Omari Hutchinson on the left. It looks like a 4-4-2 formation.
England 0-0 Germany
With Germany already qualified, they have changed their entire starting line-up from their win over the Czech Republic.
A big boost for England as they look to claim their spot in the last eight.
And we're under way.
England v Germany (20:00 BST)
BBC Radio 5 Live
Press the listen live tab at the top of this page to listen along to commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland v Germany (20:00 BST)
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter at the Nitra Stadium
It's a lot cooler than the last time England played here.
The team were out on the pitch taking in the conditions.
The German side were out at the same time and star man Nick Woltemade is there.
The England team are going to have to keep him quiet, if he plays, if they want to progress to the knockouts.
Image source, BBC SportEngland players inspect the pitch
England v Germany (20:00 BST)
Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland Under-21s could come up against a tough challenge in their European Championship defence when they face Germany - and the tournament's top scorer Nick Woltemade.
The 23-year-old Stuttgart forward, who is 6ft 6in (1.98m) and recently became a senior international, has scored four goals in two games in Slovakia, although he is only a substitute today.
And he is being linked to many Premier League clubs after his breakthrough season in the Bundesliga.
England will reach the quarter-finals if they avoid defeat by Germany, or if Slovenia do not beat the Czech Republic.
"It wouldn't be optimal scouting if a club didn't have that [his scoring run] on their radar right now," Woltemade recently told Bild of Chelsea links., external
"I'm not thinking about my future right now. I'm now with the under-21 national team, I'm having a lot of fun and I just scored three goals."
Woltemade was even called a "two metre Messi-Musiala" by club captain Atakan Karazor in an interview in February., external
He said: "He can control the ball, but at the same time he can also dribble like a 1.6 metre dribbler. He's a player who is two metres tall but he has technique like Messi."
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter at the Nitra Stadium
This is the view from the castle in Nitra that overlooks the stadium where England will be playing Germany shortly.
It was extremely hot when England last played here on Sunday but the late kick-off time means it's a lot cooler today.
England need a point to ensure their progression to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Image source, BBC Sport
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland approached this tournament in a position they had not been in since the 1980s - as reigning champions.
Lee Carsley's Young Lions were in superb form in 2023 as they won all six of their matches in Georgia and Romania, without conceding a goal, to lift the trophy.
England won group games against Czech Republic, Israel and Germany, beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-final and were 3-0 winners over Israel in the semi-final.
They defeated Spain 1-0 in the final with Liverpool's Curtis Jones scoring the only goal, before goalkeeper James Trafford saved a last-minute penalty.
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon was named player of the tournament, while the team of the tournament, also included Trafford, defenders Levi Colwill and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, as well as midfielder Jones.
Of England's 23-man squad two years ago, 10 of them - defenders Jarrad Branthwaite, Colwill and Harwood-Bellis, midfielders Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Jones and Emile Smith Rowe, and forwards Gordon, Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer - have all now played for the senior team.
That was the third time England had won the competition, but the first occasion since the 1980s, when they won successive tournaments in 1982 and 1984.
Match 2: England 0-0 Slovenia
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter
England were held to a frustrating draw with Slovenia in their second group match of the Uefa European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia.
The Young Lions had a number of chances and went close to scoring through Ethan Nwaneri and Harvey Elliot, who hit the post with a volley.
Captain James McAtee was also denied from close range by Martin Turk, while the Slovenia keeper tipped over a Jack Hinshelwood header just before the end.
Head coach Lee Carsley made two changes from the side that comfortably beat Slovakia in the opening game, but those tweaks did not have the desired effect and the hot conditions also seemed to impact England's ability to move the ball quickly.
Slovenia had chances to win the match themselves as Svit Seslar forced goalkeeper James Beadle into three good saves, while the forward also went close with a bicycle kick in the first half.
The result left England top of Group B on four points with Germany and the Czech Republic playing the other match in the group later this evening.
England face Germany in their final match and Carsley's side may need to pick up a positive result to ensure their progression to the knockout stages.
Match 1: England 3-1 Czech Republic
Alex Howell
BBC football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesHarvey Elliott set England Under-21s on the way to a successful start as the holders began their European Championship title defence with victory against the Czech Republic.
Head coach Lee Carsley had to deal with a number of squad withdrawals in the build-up to the tournament in Slovakia but still named an attacking side for the Young Lions' opening match.
England took the lead in the 39th minute when Tino Livramento, who was a constant threat from left-back, had a cross deflected into the area and the ball fell to captain James McAtee who teed up Liverpool's Elliott to drill a low shot into the net.
Livramento was involved again for England's second goal when he beat his man with an excellent piece of skill, and his low cross into the box got a slight touch from Jonathan Rowe which beat Czech goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek.
The Czech Republic pulled one back just three minutes later when Daniel Fila headed in Vaclav Sejk's chipped cross.
England made sure of the win when Charlie Cresswell headed in Alex Scott's curling corner after 76 minutes.
Ansgar Knauff scored Germany's opening goal as they beat England 2-1
England progressed to the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championship despite being beaten by Germany in their final group-stage match.
Germany were already assured of a quarter-finals place after winning their first two matches and made 11 changes for the game against Lee Carsley's side.
England were trailing after just three minutes when Jarell Quansah was caught out by a ball over the top and Ansgar Knauff controlled brilliantly before drilling a shot into the bottom corner.
Carsley's side dominated possession after falling behind but it was Germany who scored next when Nelson Weiper got between Jack Hinshelwood and Charlie Cresswell to guide a header into the net.
England pulled one back in the second half after excellent work by Omari Hutchinson out wide, with his ball into the area tapped in from close range by Alex Scott.
The Young Lions pushed forward but couldn't find an equaliser, leaving England to finish second in the group and with a quarter-final against group A winners Spain on Saturday.
After picking up four points in their first two matches England were in a strong position in the group.
Carsley made four changes to the side that drew with Slovenia on Sunday and again England dominated the ball but did not cause Germany too many problems.
England are blessed with a number of skilful ball players and they controlled possession but they lacked the runs in behind the Germany defence to finish off their nice build-up play.
They take on an impressive Spain side that topped a group that included Italy, and the Young Lions will need to lift their levels if they hope to make the semi-finals.
Samuel Iling-Junior was named in the starting XI for the first time in the tournament and came into the side at left-back.
Knauff was Germany's best player in the opening 45 minutes and registered a goal and an assist, which both came down Iling-Junior's side.
The Aston Villa defender was withdrawn at half-time and Hinshelwood was moved from right-back to take his place.
Iling-Junior was not alone in struggling, with Harvey Elliot and Jonathan Rowe also replaced at half-time after not enjoying their best matches.
Cresswell was again solid for England and had a good header saved in the second half as the Young Lions pushed for an equaliser.
England had 18 shots compared to Germany's five but could only manage five on target. Germany scored with both of their efforts on target.
England will take on Spain in Trnava on Saturday and Germany will play Italy on Sunday as both look to secure their place in the semi-finals.
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Spain U21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
|
2 Italy U21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
|
3 Slovakia U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 |
|
4 Romania U21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Germany U21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
|
2 England U21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
|
3 Czech Republic U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 3 |
|
4 Slovenia U21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 1 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Portugal U21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
|
2 France U21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
|
3 Georgia U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 3 |
|
4 Poland U21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | 0 |
|
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Denmark U21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
|
2 Netherlands U21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
|
3 Ukraine U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 |
|
4 Finland U21 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 2 |
|
Manager: Lee Carsley
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Antonio Di Salvo
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Lee Carsley
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Antonio Di Salvo
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
UEFA U21 Championship
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
