England U21 vs Germany U21 as it happened: England concede late goal before crashing out on penalties

Relive England's nail-biting Euro 2017 semi-final

Gray scored for England but the young lions eventually crashed out (Getty)

​England Under-21s suffered more penalty semi-final heartbreak against Germany after Nathan Redmond's miss sent them out of Euro 2017.

Julian Pollersbeck saved the Southampton winger's spot kick as Germany won 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time.

It was hard on the Young Lions who battled hard but it is Germany who will face Spain or Italy in Friday's final in Krakow.

What time does it start?

The match kicks off at 6.00pm on Tuesday 27 June.

Where can I watch it?

It will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 from 4.30pm.

Preview

Even though the Germans lost their final game of the group stage to Italy 1-0, the task lying ahead of the Young Lions is of the utmost difficulty. Germany, alongside Spain, are favourites for the tournament; and their young Bundesliga stars, Serge Gnabry, Max Meyer and David Selke, are ready to step up to the plate.

And the fact that Germany’s coach, Stefan Kuntz, claims his team doesn’t have to practise penalties before the clash proves they are confident.

However England have cranked up since the beginning of the Euros, leaving the lukewarm performance against Sweden behind.

Ben Chilwell in action for England U21s (Getty)

Their win against Slovakia, coming from 1-0 down, and their thrashing of Poland in a hectic final game of the group stage have reinforced hope among the fans that the team may follow a similar path to the English Under-20 side, who lifted the trophy at the World Cup in South Korea earlier this month.

The showdown may be a make or break for the Young Lions. Should England walk off the pitch as the winners, they surely will put the marker down and answer his coach’s appeal.

It’s a big game for…

Mawson faces a tremendous test against Germany's frontline (Getty)

Alfie Mawson: Halting the ultra-talented German offensive line will definitely be the x-factor for England to win the semi-final.

Mawson, who has been progressing since the beginning of the tournament and had a successful debut Premier League season with Swanesa, is facing a tremendous challenge and, alongside Callum Chambers, will have to be at his best to stand up to the task.

Best stat

It’s more of a date than a stat, but June 26 has not been successful for English national teams in the past. That’s the day when Frank Lampard had his free-kick goal against; yes, Germany; famously disallowed in the round of 16 of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Also, that’s when Iceland upset England last year during Euro 2016. Hopefully, it’s three times lucky.

Player to watch

Gray scored England's first against Poland (Getty)

Demarai Gray: “Angry and frustrated” due to limited minutes on the pitch in the Premier League last season, Gray seemed rejuvenated against Poland in an electric performance as if wanting to prove doubters wrong.

Using the tournament as a showcase in the light of his unstable situation at Leicester, the young winger could shine again today, and his pace will be very much needed against the solid German defence.

Past three meetings

Germany U21 1 England U21 0
International friendly, March 2017

England U21 3 Germany U21 2
International friendly, March 2015

Germany U21 2 England U21 0
International friendly, November 2010

Form guide

England: WWDWL

Germany: LWWWW

Odds

Provided by 888 Sport

England to win: 13/11

Germany to win: 5/7

[27 June 2017 16:15 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

England (4-4-2) Pickford; Holgate, Chambers, Mawson, Chilwell; Ward-Prowse, Hughes, Chalobah, Gray; Baker, Abraham.

Subs: Gunn, Stephens, Redmond, Targett, Murphy, Swift, Holding, Hause, Iorfa, Grealish, Woodrow, Mitchell. 

[27 June 2017 16:17 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Germany (4-2-3-1) Pollersbeck; Toljan, Stark, Kempf, Gerhardt; Haberer, Philipp; Meyer, Arnold, Gnabry; Selke.

Subs: Schwabe, Anton, Jung, Dahoud, Platte, Klunter, Kehrer, Weiser, Amiri,  Oztunali, Kohr, Vlachodimos. 

[27 June 2017 16:37 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Aidy Boothroyd explains why he's left Nathan Redmond out of his starting team:

Nathan Redmond is fit and ready to go but I don't think he's got the full 90 or 120 minutes in him. He's the sort of player that can change a game.

I've brought in Will Hughes because he is left sided and gives us a bit of a different threat with his passing and I wanted to push Lewis Baker a little further up the pitch.

I'm hoping our extra prep time is an advantage. We reccied the hotel in Krakow two years ago - the prep is part of it.

We faced Germany in March and we learned they're a good team and when their tails are up they can give anyone a good hiding.

[27 June 2017 16:54 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

How did England perform in the group stage?

The young Lions began with an underwhelming draw against Sweden...

[27 June 2017 17:08 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

7 mins: It should be 1-0!

Chilwell does well down the left to win a corner and Ward-Prowse's delivery is sublime. A vicious inswinger, which finds Chalobah completely unmarked in the German penalty area.

The Chelsea youngster has time to direct his header ... but nods the ball over the bar, under completely no pressure. Disappointing. 

[27 June 2017 17:12 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

10 mins: Hughes is in trouble. He hacks down Haberer around 30 yards out from goal, to stop a promising German counter-attack.

The bad news: He goes into the book. The good news: Germany make a Horlix of the set-piece. The ball flies out for a goal-kick. 

[27 June 2017 17:13 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

There aren't any photographs from the match yet, so here's a nice arty shot of the England badge instead.

[27 June 2017 17:32 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Aidy Boothroyd isn't going to let the small matter of his team playing in a European semi-final from preventing him getting up to speed with the Garcia report...

[27 June 2017 17:37 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

[27 June 2017 17:39 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

37 mins: That was a great goal. Chilwell has been struggling to hold back the tide down that flank, and he was eventually overpowered. Toljan's turn of pace and dinked cross were brilliant, as was Selke's confident finish.

Those two players - along with captain Maximilian Arnold - have been the best on the pitch and the German youngsters deserve their lead.