Stunning England Sail To Germany Revenge

Match Report: England vs Germany European U19 Championship 10th July 2017

Stunning England sail to Germany revenge

Keith Downing’s England thrashed a sorry looking German side to end the group stages with a 100% record and dump Frank Kramer’s men out of the competition in Tbilisi yesterday.

The result means revenge for England as the U21 side were knocked out of the U21 European Championship at the Semi-Final stage by Germany on penalties. The momentous victory also ensures that England are group B champions and due to The Netherlands’s draw with Bulgaria, Germany are sent packing. The decisive tie started evenly and soon turned into an end to end first-half thriller. However, it was to be a start of nightmares for The Three Lions as they lost two of their key players early on through injuries to Trevor Chalobah and Andre Dozzell. Although the second-half would contain four goals, there would be one disallowed one in the first-half. The disallowed effort would be a Ben Brereton tap in from a Ryan Sessegnon cross cum shot, little did the Nottingham Forest man know that if the goal had stood he would have gone on to bag a hat-trick.

As the first-half wore on, the Germans began to grow into the game and chances were sent begging by the likes of Dennis Geiger and Sidney Friede. The misses would prove to cost the visitors dearly in Tbilisi and England were soon showing signs of having a promising second period, as Isaac Buckley-Ricketts and Mason Mount went close to breaking the deadlock. However, the teams would go into the break with the scores at 0-0 after an entertaining first period in the Georgian capital.

It was the Germans who initially made the better start to the second-half, but there was to be a shock to the system on the way. As Brereton twisted and turned with the ball inside the Germany area, he was brought down by Sidney Friede and referee Ali Palabiyik pointed to the spot. The spot-kick was duly slotted home by Brereton, with the 18-year-old remaining cool and composed under pressure. The goal would prove a sucker-punch for Deutschland who would struggle to recover after the blip.

The news of Bulgaria’s equaliser against the Dutch would lift the few German fans inside The David Petriashvili Stadium, but a series of Germany corners were easily dealt with by The Three Lions defence in the moments after the goal. In the 64th minute, victory was all but sealed for Downing’s men, as Brereton popped up again to cleverly flick Mason Mount’s low cross into the far corner of the net. Suddenly, one of the powerhouse teams of international football at every level were staring a group stage exit square in the face.

A flaccid Germany just continued to let their crucial chances slip by the way side as they begun to get desperate. However, there was to be a lifeline for the Germans in the form of a sliding goal from substitute Tobias Warschewski to give Kramer’s men some hope of claiming a vital equaliser. Those very hopes were to be dashed by two empathic late strikes from Fulham wonder-kid Ryan Sessegnon. The Chelsea man Mount was to gain his second assist of the tie as he played a long ball into Sessegnon, the 17-year-old would go onto lash a superb volley into the far corner to give England an 80th minute cushion.

Any goal in the later stages of the game for The Three Lions would have simply been an added bonus to a scintillating performance and this very thing was to happen with six minutes of normal time remaining. While Ben Brereton was unable to complete his hat-trick of goals, Mason Mount made it a hattrick of assists playing Sessegnon in on the left yet again. The sought-after starlet was able to fire a low shot under keeper Eike Bansen to give Germany their second 4-1 defeat of the finals. The resounding win also saw Brereton and Sessegnon tie Joel Piroe and Viktor Gyokeres at the top of the goal-scoring list for the tournament.

So, with England securing their place in the Semi-Finals in some style against a depleted German side. Keith Downing’s young stars have set up a tough tie with The Czech Republic in the last four, with the massive tie set to take place in two days-time in Tbilisi. Meanwhile, Frank Kramer’s German youngsters will be left to pick up the pieces of what could have been in the 2017 European U19 Championship. It was to be a leaky defence that ultimately cost Germany as they leave Georgia with the most goals conceded out of the eight teams, while their seniors continue to celebrate EURO U21 and Confederations Cup triumphs.