Published 27 September 2022 4 min read
Men's U21
Report: England MU21s 3-1 Germany
Young Lions show second-half spirit to battle back and claim victory at Bramall Lane
England men's under-21s battled back from behind to beat Germany by 3-1 at Bramall Lane.
Lee Carsley’s side were left chasing the game when Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead just after the half-hour mark.
But Folarin Balogun and Conor Gallagher struck clinically either side of half time as the Young Lions completed a rousing comeback.
And then Cole Palmer finished a counter-attack in injury time to hand Carsley's team a morale-boosting victory as they continue to prepare for next summer's U21 EURO Finals.
The visitors had the lion’s share of possession in the early stages with Sheffield United’s Reda Khadra effervescent at his adopted home ground.
Germany created the first chance as Khadra led a dangerous counter-attack but Jan Thielmann’s low shot failed to trouble James Trafford in the England goal.
The Young Lions slowly imposed themselves as in-form Balogun and Anthony Gordon both narrowly failed to latch on to fine through balls from deep midfield positions.
Lee Carsley’s side were left chasing the game when Felix Nmecha gave Germany the lead just after the half-hour mark.
But Folarin Balogun and Conor Gallagher struck clinically either side of half time as the Young Lions completed a rousing comeback.
And then Cole Palmer finished a counter-attack in injury time to hand Carsley's team a morale-boosting victory as they continue to prepare for next summer's U21 EURO Finals.
The visitors had the lion’s share of possession in the early stages with Sheffield United’s Reda Khadra effervescent at his adopted home ground.
Germany created the first chance as Khadra led a dangerous counter-attack but Jan Thielmann’s low shot failed to trouble James Trafford in the England goal.
The Young Lions slowly imposed themselves as in-form Balogun and Anthony Gordon both narrowly failed to latch on to fine through balls from deep midfield positions.
Against the run of England’s improvement, Germany hit the front on 35 minutes when Nmecha, who previously represented England up to MU19 level, stole into the box and nodded home Noah Katterbach’s left-wing cross.
The response from the hosts was immediate as James Garner rose highest from a corner and watched his header graze the angle of post and bar and bounce to safety.
Balogun struck within five minutes, pouncing on a loose ball in the box and driving in an equaliser off the right-hand post.
Gallagher gave England the lead within moments of the restart as Jacob Ramsey jinked into the box and Gordon crossed for the Chelsea man to tap in from close range.
England dominated midfield in the second half and Gallagher came close to a second when he stabbed straight at Noah Atubolu in the Germany goal.
The response from the hosts was immediate as James Garner rose highest from a corner and watched his header graze the angle of post and bar and bounce to safety.
Balogun struck within five minutes, pouncing on a loose ball in the box and driving in an equaliser off the right-hand post.
Gallagher gave England the lead within moments of the restart as Jacob Ramsey jinked into the box and Gordon crossed for the Chelsea man to tap in from close range.
England dominated midfield in the second half and Gallagher came close to a second when he stabbed straight at Noah Atubolu in the Germany goal.
28 Sep 2022
7:36
Highlights: England MU21s 3-1 Germany
See the goals and the best of the action from Bramall Lane as the Young Lions end the year on a high
After a flurry of substitutions on 68 minutes, Germany came close when Eric Martel glanced Angelo Stiller’s free-kick just wide of the left-hand post and they threatened again when substitute Faride Alidou cut in from the right-hand side and fired just over Trafford’s bar.
Sheffield United star Rhian Brewster, one of nine substitutes deployed by Carsley, also came close to a goal on home turf as his header deflected off a defender before Palmer wrapped things up.
England (4-3-3): 22 James Trafford (Bolton Wanderers, loan from Manchester City), 2 Max Aarons (Norwich City), 5 Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Burnley, loan from Manchester City), 4 Levi Colwill (Brighton & Hove Albion), 17 Luke Thomas (Leicester City); 19 Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), 14 James Garner (Everton), 8 Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa), 10 Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), 9 Folarin Balogun (Reims, loan from Arsenal), 11 Anthony Gordon (Everton)
Substitutes: 3 Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham Hotspur) for Colwill 68, 6 Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur) for Garner 68, 18 Tommy Doyle (Sheffield United, loan from Manchester City) for Ramsey 68, 21 James McAtee (Sheffield United, loan from Manchester City) for Gallagher 68, 20 Angel Gomes (Lille) for Elliott 68, 7 Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United) for Gordon 68, 15 Charlie Cresswell (Millwall, loan from Leeds United) for Thomas 68, 23 Cole Palmer (Manchester City) for Balogun 68, 16 Luke Mbete (Huddersfield Town, loan from Manchester City) for Harwood-Bellis 82
Substitutes not used: 12 Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), 13 Josh Griffiths (Portsmouth), 22 Carl Rushworth (Lincoln City), 24 Tyler Morton (Blackburn Rovers, loan from Liverpool)
Goals: Balogun 41, Gallagher 47, Palmer 90
Yellow cards: Brewster 90, Doyle 90
Head coach: Lee Carsley
Germany (4-3-3): 23 Noah Atubolu, 2 Kilian Fischer, 4 Malick Thiaw, 14 Márton Dárdai, 3 Noah Katterbach, 10 Felix Nmecha, 13 Yannik Keitel, 8 Angelo Stiller, 9 Reda Khadra, 20 Lazar Samardžić, 17 Jan Thielmann
Substitutes: 6 Tom Krauss for Keitel 64, 18 Jamie Leweling for Thielmann 64, 16 Eric Martel for Khadra 64, 19 Jordan Beyer for Fischer 73, 7 Ansgar Knauff 74 for Thielmann 74, 21 Faride Alidou for Samardžić 74, 5 Maximilian Bauer for Thiaw 74
Substitutes not used: 22 Luca Netz, 12 Christian Früchtl
Goals: Nmecha 35
Yellow cards: Knauff 79, Beyer 90
Head coach: Antonio Di Salvo
Sheffield United star Rhian Brewster, one of nine substitutes deployed by Carsley, also came close to a goal on home turf as his header deflected off a defender before Palmer wrapped things up.
England (4-3-3): 22 James Trafford (Bolton Wanderers, loan from Manchester City), 2 Max Aarons (Norwich City), 5 Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Burnley, loan from Manchester City), 4 Levi Colwill (Brighton & Hove Albion), 17 Luke Thomas (Leicester City); 19 Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), 14 James Garner (Everton), 8 Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa), 10 Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), 9 Folarin Balogun (Reims, loan from Arsenal), 11 Anthony Gordon (Everton)
Substitutes: 3 Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham Hotspur) for Colwill 68, 6 Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur) for Garner 68, 18 Tommy Doyle (Sheffield United, loan from Manchester City) for Ramsey 68, 21 James McAtee (Sheffield United, loan from Manchester City) for Gallagher 68, 20 Angel Gomes (Lille) for Elliott 68, 7 Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United) for Gordon 68, 15 Charlie Cresswell (Millwall, loan from Leeds United) for Thomas 68, 23 Cole Palmer (Manchester City) for Balogun 68, 16 Luke Mbete (Huddersfield Town, loan from Manchester City) for Harwood-Bellis 82
Substitutes not used: 12 Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), 13 Josh Griffiths (Portsmouth), 22 Carl Rushworth (Lincoln City), 24 Tyler Morton (Blackburn Rovers, loan from Liverpool)
Goals: Balogun 41, Gallagher 47, Palmer 90
Yellow cards: Brewster 90, Doyle 90
Head coach: Lee Carsley
Germany (4-3-3): 23 Noah Atubolu, 2 Kilian Fischer, 4 Malick Thiaw, 14 Márton Dárdai, 3 Noah Katterbach, 10 Felix Nmecha, 13 Yannik Keitel, 8 Angelo Stiller, 9 Reda Khadra, 20 Lazar Samardžić, 17 Jan Thielmann
Substitutes: 6 Tom Krauss for Keitel 64, 18 Jamie Leweling for Thielmann 64, 16 Eric Martel for Khadra 64, 19 Jordan Beyer for Fischer 73, 7 Ansgar Knauff 74 for Thielmann 74, 21 Faride Alidou for Samardžić 74, 5 Maximilian Bauer for Thiaw 74
Substitutes not used: 22 Luca Netz, 12 Christian Früchtl
Goals: Nmecha 35
Yellow cards: Knauff 79, Beyer 90
Head coach: Antonio Di Salvo