England Under-21 eased past Germany on Wednesday to finish their UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage in style. Lee Carsley’s youngsters had already booked their spot in the quarter-finals, where they will face a talented Portuguese side at the weekend, but Chelsea ace Noni Madueke and Liverpool star Harvey Elliott still took their chances to impress.
Carsley and co went into the tournament with one of the most promising squads on the continent, and against Germany he was able to make a host of changes from the teams that beat Israel and Czech Republic.
The likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Luke Thomas and Cole Palmer were thrown in from the start, and England were quickly in control. Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer put them ahead inside four minutes, with Elliott scoring the second and final goal of the game halfway through the first period.
The 2-0 result leaves reigning champions Germany rock bottom of Group C as they crash out of the tournament with a whimper, while England go through to the last eight as group winners.
Liverpool’s Elliott was among the particularly bright sparks, and Reds fans were given plenty to get excited about as he picked the ball up inside his own half, drove at the German defence and drilled into the bottom corner.
The 20-year-old is already experienced at senior level as he approaches 70 first-team appearances for Liverpool, and his performance on Wednesday made it clear that he is one of Carsley’s more accomplished squad members.
He was not the only one to shine, however, as Madueke put on a clinic out wide to cause Germany problems throughout the game. The Chelsea man, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £29million move from PSV Eindhoven back in January, was a constant threat on the right-hand side.
Even under intense pressure, the 21-year-old routinely found a way to square up his opponent. Once he did so, it was nigh on impossible to contain him and several mesmerising solo runs in the first half had the opposition at sixes and sevens.
Former interim Chelsea boss Frank Lampard gave Madueke a run in the side at the end of last season, and new manager Mauricio Pochettino will surely be tempted to do the same off the back of his performances so far at the Championships.
Madueke was hooked before the hour mark, as was the impressive Jacob Ramsey of Aston Villa, as Carsley looks to save his top talents for the later rounds. The Young Lions will go into Sunday’s clash with Portugal riding a wave of confidence as their 100-per-cent record at the tournament continues.
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