Lee Carsley issues challenge to England Under-21s after they win European Championship

Lee Carsley, the England Under-21 manager, has issued a challenge to his young Lions to replicate their recent success after triumphing over Germany with a 3-2 victory in Bratislava to defend their European Championship title.

Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson set England on course with a first-half brace before Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel levelled for Germany.

Germany nearly clinched the game late on as Nebel struck the woodwork.

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It was substitute Jonathan Rowe who then burst onto the scene in extra-time with a decisive header to push England back into the lead, with Merlin Rohl's late effort against the crossbar almost salvaging a draw for Germany.

After the match, a beaming Carsley shared his pride in his team while speaking to Channel 4.

"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 said.

He highlighted the squad's self-belief, stating, "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."

The manager also praised the resilience his team displayed throughout the tournament: "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.

"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 team had previously clinched the tournament two years ago in Georgia and he successfully guided his side to consecutive titles with an exhilarating victory in Bratislava.

The 51 year old had a temporary spell at the helm of the senior England team following Gareth Southgate's exit last year and in early June, he inked a new contract extending to the conclusion of the 2027 European Championship.

When questioned about what lies ahead and the possibility of working alongside Thomas Tuchel, Carsley responded: "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.

"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 secured the title, nodding home a header just two minutes after being substituted on in extra time, and he praised 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 stated.

"We all wanted to win, we've done that now, job's finally finished and we can all celebrate."