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Irish Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
England v Germany chaos as players accused of beer theft by 'distraught' woman
In a bizarre twist to their Euro final preparations, Germany's Under-21 team have been embroiled in a scandal involving accusations of nicking beer glasses following their semi-final victory over France. An apparently "distraught" woman, reported to be a VIP host at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena, was spotted in tears while charging towards the German team coach — sidestepping stewards and an armed guard to snap pictures. The incident surfaced after the squad's win, according to Bild as quoted by The Sun. While reports suggest she thought the team filched the glasses, Markus Beer, the Germany Under-21 press officer, has absolved his team: "It was all completely different. The woman had brought several beer mugs into the catacombs, presumably for the referees. Then later, empty mugs were there, which were suddenly gone," Beer explained insisting on the players' innocence, adding, "Someone must have thrown them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case." Amidst the mayhem, Germany is focused on clinching the European Championships title, boasting an unblemished record en route to the final where they face England, a team they edged out 2-1 during the group phase and later triumphed over Italy with extra-time heroics in the quarter-finals. Germany breezed into the final, taking an early lead against France with goals from Nelson Wieper and Nick Woltemade within the first 15 minutes. Brighton's rising star Brajan Gruda sealed the deal in stoppage time, ensuring a comfortable win. England, on the other hand, had to dig deep, scraping through their group with just four points. They replicated last year's final by knocking out Spain in the quarters and edged past the Netherlands in the semis, thanks to Harvey Elliott's crucial double, reports the Mirror. After his decisive performance, Elliott reflected on the importance of stepping up when it counts: "You can speak as much as you want on the pitch, you can say whatever, but at the end of the day when the moment comes and you need to show up, and you need to, for example, in my situation, score a goal," he said, drawing inspiration from Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk's pivotal roles in their title triumph. "It's about how you take that, and those opportunities are vital. Today I'm just so happy I was able to contribute and get the two goals to win us the game."
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Germany U21s accused of theft by ‘distraught' woman before England final
Germany's Under-21 side have had no issues on the pitch during this summer's issues but were faced with an unexpected confrontation after cruising into the final Germany's Under-21 team are due to take on England in Saturday's European Championships final, but their preparations have been disturbed by accusations of stealing beer glasses. The players were confronted by a "distraught" woman over the alleged theft, it has been claimed. The allegations relate to events after the team's semi-final against France in Kosice. Antonio Di Salvo's squad have denied theft, claiming instead that the glasses must have been removed without their knowledge. According to Bild (via The Sun), the woman - understood to be a VIP host at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena - was in tears as she stormed Germany's team coach. She is reported to have ignored the attention of stewards and an armed security guard in order to approach the vehicle and attempt to take photos, 'It was all completely different. The woman had brought several beer mugs into the catacombs, presumably for the referees. Then later, empty mugs were there, which were suddenly gone," said the Germany Under-21 press officer, who happens to be named Markus Beer. 'Someone must have thrown them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case.' Germany go into this year's final after winning every single one of their matches so far. They beat England 2-1 in the group stages, before needing extra-time to see off Italy in the quarter-finals. They found things much easier in the semis, going 2-0 up against France inside the opening 15 minutes as Nelson Wieper and Nick Woltemade found the net. Brighton youngster Brajan Gruda rounded off the scoring in second half stoppage-time to complete a handsome victory. England haven't found things quite as straightforward, but powered through despite only taking four points from their three group games. They beat Spain in the quarters in a repeat of the 2023 final, while a pair of Harvey Elliott goals were enough for a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the semis. "You can speak as much as you want on the pitch, you can say whatever, but at the end of the day when the moment comes and you need to show up, and you need to, for example, in my situation, score a goal," Elliott said after his match-winning brace, pointing to big goals from his Liverpool colleagues Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk during the Reds' title win. "It's about how you take that, and those opportunities are vital. Today I'm just so happy I was able to contribute and get the two goals to win us 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.
