Lee Carsley challenges England Under-21s to complete European hat-trick
England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley has challenged his side to repeat the trick after they defended their European Championship title with a 3-2 win over Germany in Bratislava.
Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson gave England a 2-0 first-half lead before Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel drew Germany level.
Germany came close to snatching it late on when Nebel rattled the woodwork.
Substitute Jonathan Rowe then made an instant impact from the bench in extra-time as his header put England ahead with Germany nearly salvaging an equaliser in the dying moments when Merlin Rohl was denied by the crossbar.
Carsley expressed his pride at his players' achievement.
'I'm proud of the players, the commitment they've shown over the last 28 days and all the instruction we've tried to put into them so quickly, they've taken it on board,' he told Channel 4 post-match.
'They've got so much belief, we spoke about it when we were at St George's that this squad believe that they can win and that's the kind of players we need.
'I'm so proud of them, so happy for them. To be European champions for the second time is a great achievement and I suppose the challenge now is to do it again in two years.
'Any setback we've had, the players have just got together. I think I said at the start of the tournament, the longer we stay in, the better we play.
THAT full-time feeling! 🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/DnrRIySTm7
— England (@England) June 28, 2025
'I didn't think we played great tonight, I thought we sat a little bit too deep and didn't have as much control as I would've wanted, but we probably won't remember that in a couple of days.'
Carsley's side had won the tournament two years ago in Georgia and steered his side to back-to-back titles with a thrilling victory in Bratislava.
The 51-year-old had an interim stint in charge of the senior England team following Gareth Southgate's departure last year and at the start of June, he signed a new deal through to the end of the 2027 European Championship.
When asked what was next and if he could work alongside Thomas Tuchel, Carsley replied: 'I'm not sure, I'm going to try and enjoy tonight. I love my job, I'm very proud of the job that I do, I love working with the players.
Back-to-back 🏆🏆
Lee Carsley becomes the first England U21 manager to win consecutive #U21EUROs since Dave Sexton in '82 and '84 💫 pic.twitter.com/QgrENEfhnO
— England (@England) June 28, 2025
'Obviously I've had a chance with the senior team and loved that. So the best thing I can do is help the pathway and try to help the senior team.'
Marseille forward Rowe ensured England wrapped up the title, flicking a header home two minutes after coming off the bench in extra time and he hailed his team's mentality.
'Everyone's exceptional, the mindset from the minute I came into the camp, I could just tell that everyone had the same mindset,' Rowe said.
'We all wanted to win, we've done that now, job's finally finished and we can all celebrate.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea chaos leaves FIFA under pressure for World Cup as Arsene Wenger responds
Chelsea's Club World Cup match against Benfica was the latest to be impacted by adverse weather decisions, leaving questions for FIFA ahead of next summer's World Cup FIFA bosses are under huge pressure to make major changes to stop next summer's World Cup turning into a farce. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca branded the weather delays in the Club World Cup 'a joke' as he claimed his team's win over Benfica being held up for nearly TWO HOURS was 'not football.' Arsene Wenger, now FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, has admitted the delays are 'not ideal' but insisted the tournament has been a success. However, it has thrown up huge question marks and problems ahead of next year 's international tournament and the world governing body is ready to review weather protocols, kick-off times and suitability of venues in the wake of this tournament. The Club World Cup has seen SIX GAMES delayed by the weather with three - including Chelsea - by over an hour. That has got potential to play havoc with multi-billion pound TV contracts. Strict US rules mean games are suspended by half an hour when lightning storms happen near the stadium - and the 30 minute delay is reset each time a bolt is spotted. Chelsea's players had to be taken off the pitch, they had to keep warm in the dressing room and some even went to check on family members as the fans were also evacuated from the stands in the Bank of America Stadium. Incredibly, there was barely a drop of rain in the stadium. Charlotte is known for extreme weather with FIFA potentially looking at how far they have to widen the perimeters and the practicality of resetting for 30 minutes every time while also taking into account safety of players. Fans are used to such delays in the US but it has been a culture shock for European teams. Chelsea were winning 1-0 with just six minutes left on the clock, they were taken off the pitch and then Benfica grabbed a 95th minute leveller as Maresca's men nearly blew it before eventually winning 4-1 in extra time. Wenger said: 'It looks to me completely normal and accepted. "It's not ideal, I agree with you, because you want the flow of the game from the first to the last minute but, as well, when you organise a competition you put security first.' Former Arsenal boss Wenger also insists that, despite criticism and some empty stadiums, the tournament is proving to be a success and is definitely here to stay. Wenger said: 'The competition is much tighter than expected. We wanted to create this Club World Cup to give the big clubs from all over the world the opportunity to come here. It looks like it's the start of something that will never stop again. 'Our hope is that the teams that competed here go home and say, 'Next time, we know what we have to do to come back stronger' and that in their countries this also helps to develop the game.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
England U21s celebrate following dramatic extra-time triumph over Germany
The England Under-21s team celebrated winning the European Championship title after a 3-2 extra time victory against Germany. Footage shared by the team on Saturday showed them celebrating with the trophy and confetti. England initially led 2-0, but Germany equalised before substitute Jonathan Rowe scored the decisive header in extra time. The victory in Bratislava secured England's successful title defence and marked their fourth overall triumph in the competition. Watch the video in full above.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
'Let's do it again' - 'fearless' Carsley eyes U21 Euros hat-trick
Eight months ago Lee Carsley's reputation took a hit as England's dismal defeat by Greece scuppered his chances of becoming the senior men's returned to his job with the under-21s, focusing on this summer's European Championship, once German Thomas Tuchel was Carsley is being lauded again after leading the Young Lions to a second successive European Championship Under-21 was the 51-year-old harshly judged for his senior spell? What might his future hold? And will he stay with England's Under-21s to try to complete a historic successive hat-trick in the competition? 'He tinkered and found the solution' England's senior team won five of Carsley's six games as interim boss but some bold moves backfired in the solitary defeat against gambled with his team selection and tactics which resulted in "an unseemly shambles" and a humbling Wembley before Sunday's U21 Euros final, Carsley said he learned a lot from the experience and it has shown over the past three weeks in Slovakia, where England began by beating the Czech Republic before drawing with Slovenia and losing to Germany."They were poor in the group stage, they struggled and then found their feet," former England defender Stephen Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live."Lee Carsley tinkered and found the solution. He and his staff masterminded this and they have made the team peak at the right time."After knocking out Spain and the Netherlands, England faced Germany again in the final and were superb in the first half, going 2-0 fought back and nearly won it at the death, but the Young Lions regrouped to score at the start of extra time as Carsley responded when his team started to be too defensive."There's definitely a bit of feel during the game," he said. "You feel that you're on the back foot or the players are maybe going a little bit too deep or conceding too much territory."I felt that we were on top in extra time and I felt you just want to give them that belief to go and attack them. Try to score, don't try to hold on. Go for it and if you get caught and lose the game, that's fine." England defend title in 'totally different' way Carsley's man-management skills, as well as his tactical acumen, steered England to glory, while they even left a positive impression during his time with the senior City forward Jack Grealish said on Instagram: "Another amazing achievement. What a manager this guy is. Deserves it."Just two players in Carsley's current squad remained from their 2023 triumph - Charlie Cresswell and Harvey Elliott – yet he moulded them into European champions, matching the back-to-back triumphs of the England Under-21s side in 1982 and 1984."Lee Carsley is fearless," former England Under-21 captain Nigel Reo-Coker said on BBC Radio 5 Live."He believed in the squad he assembled, to give the players that don't have as much experience the chance to go and get the job done. And they stood up to the mark."With Sunday's final going to extra time, Carsley had to rely on his squad, making six CJ Egan-Riley was used for the first time in the tournament, while Tyler Morton and Jonathan Rowe combined for the winning goal."The lazy thing as coaches would be to just try to reproduce what we've done last time but we've done it totally different," said Carsley."We thought outside the box with our training, about tactics and with the way we wanted to play with our squad selection."All these instructions we've tried to put into them have been taken on board so quickly. This squad believe that they can win and that's the kind of players we need." Senior call-ups 'brilliant to go for' England manager Tuchel watched on from the stands in Bratislava and must have been impressed as he considers his options for the 2026 World members of Carsley's 2023 squad have already represented the senior team, but how many will go on to do so from his new European champions?"I am sure Lee will be humble about what he and the group have achieved but he should be recognised for this special achievement," said the Football Association's chief executive Mark Bullingham."Before Lee took over [in 2021], we hadn't won this trophy for 39 years. In two tournament cycles he has won it twice."On top of this exceptional tournament success, he has overseen player development with many U21s making their debut for the senior team."Carsley added: "The most important thing is that the under-21s keep winning and keep producing players for the senior team, along with the U17s and U19s, so it's a brilliant thing to go for." 'I'm not thinking about moving on too quickly' Having signed a new contract until the end of the 2027 U21 Euros, Carsley is set to continue to lead the Young Lions into the next team had not even lifted the trophy yet in Slovakia and he was already talking about going for a European hat-trick."I suppose the challenge now is to do it again in two years," said Carsley."Funnily enough, on Saturday I got the new squad of players that are potentially available for the next campaign so I'm not thinking about moving on too quickly."Asked whether he would be working alongside Tuchel at the 2026 World Cup, Carsley added: "I'm not sure. I'm very proud of the job that I do and I love working with the players."Obviously, I've had a chance with the senior team as well and I loved that, so the best thing I can do is help the pathway and help the senior team." 'Returning to his main role was right move' - analysis Carsley's second successive European Championship triumph with England U21s is further evidence of why he is held in such high regard by the Football period in interim charge of the senior team, in between Sir Gareth Southgate's departure and the appointment of Tuchel, was, by and large, successful with five wins from six low point was the 2-1 home defeat to Greece, when Carsley's ultra-attacking selection backfired spectacularly and, at times, he looked uncomfortable in the unforgiving spotlight that shines on England's manager. It was a selection and result at Wembley that raised question marks about his credentials for the top is why he relished a return to what he has done best, coaching and moulding the younger generations into the cohesive, successful unit England have speak in glowing terms about Carsley's coaching and methods, and his latest success only raises his reputation Tuchel's indifferent start as England coach, history is starting to look more kindly on Carsley's brief tenure, but leading the U21s still looks much more of a comfortable fit than the senior side and returning to his main role was the right final success over Germany may, however, create a complication for the FA further down the work will no doubt attract attention from clubs seeking a progressive manager, but the FA will be comfortable with that because he signed a new deal to 2027, stating consistently he is happy where he the FA is certainly happy with him.
