In England Under-21's defence of the European Championships, Lee Carsley's men put in a near-perfect performance inside a raucous Stadion Tehelne pole in Bratislava, Slovakia, and managed to run out 3-2 victors thanks to goals from Harvey Elliott, Omari Hutchinson and Jonathan Rowe.
Five minutes in, stepping up on the big stage was Liverpool's Harvey Elliott, whose club future remains hanging by a thread, yet again as he floated on the edge of the box and pounced onto a teasing ball, wrong-footing Germany's Noah Atubolu.
Omari Hutchinson then doubled the Young Lions' lead inside 25 minutes as the Ipswich Town man and James McAtee linked up well under pressure. His sharp, left-footed finish was topped off by his acrobatic celebration. By that point, England were at the races; Germany were a shadow of themselves.
At the worst time to concede a goal, right on the stroke of half-time, England were unable to thwart Nelson Weiper's well-placed bullet header past James Beadle. Despite losing, Antonio di Salvo's side had the momentum heading into the break.
The second half was far more controlled from Germany's perspective and their hard work paid off just after the hour mark as Paul Nebel curled his right-footed effort into the top corner, courtesy of James Beadle's weak palm. The peundulum had swung and Germany were on the front foot.
Bringing fresh legs into the equation, it was actually Jonathan Rowe's head that saw England regain their lead. Tyler Morton's cross was simply sumptuous and the 22-year-old rose the highest in the Germany box, nodding his effort into the back of the net.
England U21 v Germany U21 – Match Statistics
England U21
43
14
6
3
2
3
England U21 Player Ratings
england u21
GK – James Beadle – 6/10
Seldom tested early on, it was a rather comfortable evening for Beadle until he weakly palmed Nebel's equaliser into the top corner.
RB – Tino Livramento – 8/10
Solid when relied upon, Livramento was always looking to make clever runs ahead of the ball.
CB – Jarell Quansah – 7/10
Worked well alongside his partner in crime, Cresswell – and he was defensively sound throughout.
CB – Charlie Cresswell – 8/10
A cool, yet combative, performance from the Toulouse man, who rose (quite literally!) on every occasion.
LB – Jack Hinshelwood – 6/10
Stationed on the left of the four, Hinshelwood was incredibly disciplined in his play but was – sometimes! – caught out of possession.
CM – Alex Scott – 6/10
Too sharp for his German counterparts but was taken off with an injury on the cusp of half-time. England missed his presence in the engine room.
CM – Elliot Anderson – 7/10
Slightly poor in his early duels, but grew into proceedings and proved why he is so critical to Carsley's men and their dreams.
RW – Harvey Elliott – 7/10
Useful for Carsley's men in tight spaces – and who else but him to grab the opener? He ran himself into the ground and was subbed heading into extra-time.
CAM – James McAtee – 6/10
Often joined Stansfield to merge a two-man strike partnership, McAtee didn't have the captain's influence as he would have hoped.
LW – Omari Hutchinson – 7/10
Heavily involved from the off, Hutchinson's decision-making let him down until he scored England's second. Alas, he could've had more than one goal.
ST – Jay Stansfield – 5/10
Not his brightest display, Birmingham City talisman Stansfield was unable to grab ahold of proceedings throughout.
Sub – Tyler Morton (44') – 7/10
Slipped in seamlessly just before the break, Morton was flung straight into the deep end and performed well.
Sub – Brooke Norton-Cuffy (62') – 6.5/10
Subbed on after Germany's equaliser to give England a different spark in attack – and he had the opportunity to grab the winner.
Sub – Jonathan Rowe (91') – 7/10
What else is there to say? Latched onto Morton's cross with poise to score the winner.
Sub – Ethan Nwaneri (91') – 4/10
Little to no impact on the ball.
Sub – CJ Egan-Riley (98') – 6/10
Subbed on to add steel to England's back four, which he screened very well.
Sub – Samuel Iling-Junior (98') – 5/10
Provided Carsley's men with an injection of pace.
Germany U21 Player Ratings
germany u21
GK – Noah Atubolu – 5/10
Although he was made to look silly for Hutchinson's goal, Atubolu somewhat prevented Germany from being out of sight by the half-time break.
RB – Nnamdi Collins – 7/10
A constant threat up the right-hand side was Collins, who was also a threat with his passing range.
CB – Bright Arrey-Mbi – 5/10
Uncomfortable in possession, Arrey-Mbi was lucky that Stansfield wasn't at his high-pressing best.
CB – Tim Oermann – 7/10
Brilliant when passing through the banks of England, Oermann was Germany's controller at the back. Defended with caution at times, however.
LB – Nathaniel Brown – 8/10
Was happy to waltz into midfield to add another man, while he was also spotted high and wide. He was one of Germany's most exciting performers.
CM – Rocco Reitz – 8/10
Often acting as the third centre-back in possession, Reitz was among those trying to make things happen for the Germans.
CM – Eric Martel – 6/10
Caught Anderson with a challenge early on, Germany's captain failed to control the tempo in the middle and was booked for a poor, late challenge.
CM – Paul Nebel – 9/10 (Man of the Match)
Produced some really clever passes throughout as he looked to link midfield with attack. Delivered a wonderful ball, after some great work on the right, for Germany's first. Produced a beautiful curler, too.
RW – Brajan Gruda – 7/10
Up against his Brighton teammate, Gruda was limited to very little joy on the right flank until he grew into the game with ease. A really tricky player but was hooked at 73 minutes.
LW – Nelson Weiper – 7/10
Endured a disheartening first 45 until right at the end – the 20-year-old rose like a salmon to offer his nation a slice of hope.
ST – Nick Woltemade – 8/10
Anonymous in the affair's early stages, the Bayern Munich-linked centre-forward took it upon himself to drop deeper to get involved.
Sub – Ansgar Knauff (73') – 5/10
Barely involved in play in regulation time, though he became much more influential in extra-time.
Sub – Merlin Rohl (80') – 5/10
England's late dominance meant that Rohl enjoyed very little action. Rattled the woodwork very, very late on.
Sub – Lukas Ullrich (86') – 6/10
Subbed on for some defensive resilience. The youngster defended well.
Sub – Nicolo Tresoldi (98') – 3/10
Subbed on to little effect.
Sub – Paul Wanner (106') – 3/10
Subbed on to little effect.