Football 4 All

Two of world football’s greatest rivals produced a hard-fought and entertaining European Under-21 final, with the tenacious Germans edging out England, mainly thanks to the offensive excellence of Mesut Ozil, who scored one goal and created others for Gonzalo Castro and Sandro Wagner. Wagner would then bag his second late on with a fine long-range drive as Horst Hrubesch’s side outdid Stuart Pearce’s men 4-0.

For their part, England enjoyed a great deal of the ball and threatened resistance midway through the second half, but ultimately lacked a threat in front of goal.It was a depleted England side, shorn of strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Fraizer Campbell, in addition to goalkeeper Joe Hart, due to suspensions, who started the game in the more positive manner.

The verve that the Young Lions enjoyed in the opening stages produced early opportunities for Martin Cranie, who knocked a header from a dangerous James Milner free kick wide, and Theo Walcott, who drilled off-target from an inclement angle after making a sharp burst into the right channel.Walcott and Milner would prove to be England’s most productive players in a first half that they would eventually lose, despite dominating possession of the ball.

Too often the Young Lions had more style than substance to their play, frequently looking more technically able than their opponents, but lacking physical muscle up front to make serious inroads into the stereotypically well-organised German defence. There were flashes of offensive inspiration from Stuart Pearce’s men, although Walcott was well marshalled by Mats Hummels, who produced three well-timed challenges on the Arsenal man just as he approached the danger-zone. A superb turn from Milner, who had already flashed a dangerous ball across the goalmouth, suddenly opened up the German defence after 28 minutes.

A further touch took the Aston Villa man away from Benedikt Hoewedes , but Jerome Boateng was smartly across to clear the danger. For the most part, though, England were left passing the ball in front of a seemingly impenetrable wall of red - an effort from Adam Johnson that was tugged hopelessly wide of goal from 25-yards rather summing up their inability to test Manuel Neuer in the opposing goal.By this time, of course, Germany had already struck. Hrubesch’s side would only intermittently threaten during the first half, but their play in the final third was more intelligent than that of the English. This was particularly true of Werder Bremen’s offensive midfielder Mesut Ozil, who conceived the first real moment of excellence in the match by dropping into ‘the hole’ and exchanging passes with Sami Khedira.

Only a heroic block from Micah Richards prevented Germany from moving ahead.But it would be Richards who would be partly culpable when Germany did find a breakthrough midway through the second half. Ozil proved a nuisance by dropping into an awkward area, accelerating past the Manchester City defender as he turned goalwards before flicking a deft pass through the left channel for Gonzalo Castro, who finished past Scott Loach with an equally delicate finish.Germany continued to prove an intermittent threat as England faded ever so slightly before half-time. There would never be any serious concern in the Young Lions’ ranks though as Sebastian Boesnich’s ambitious effort from well out on the left hand side sailed well wide, before Ozil had a free kick deflected over by the defensive wall.Half-time may not exactly have provided England respite from incessant German pressure, but it was nevertheless a welcome opportunity for Pearce to reorganise his side.

Michael Mancienne emerged from the dressing room to start the second half in place of Nedum Onouha, however, his presence failed to have the desired effect as Germany quickly doubled their lead.If the first strike had been brilliant, the second owed something to luck, as well as a misjudgement from Loach, who dived hopelessly past a swerving, dipping Mesut Ozil free kick, which left him utterly bamboozled and more than a little red faced as the ball frustratingly trickled over the goal-line with several red shirts homing in to make sure in any case.After the Germans had enjoyed a ten minute period of some comfort, England came roaring back into the game, inspired by a 25-yard drive from Lee Cattermole that had Neuer finally scrambling.

Although the Wigan Athletic man’s shot cleared the goalkeeper, it could not beat the bar.Milner was the next to have a go, England’s record U-21 cap holder showing admirable footwork to leave Boenisch on the ground as he made his way to the byline. A low drive cross was inviting, but was just sufficiently behind Adam Johnson to force the Middlesbrough man to attempt a tricky back-flick. His effort appeared to be travelling into the net, but Andreas Beck was on hand to hack away on the line.Beck would produce a similar block as Cattermole glanced a near post header towards goal, meeting a dangerous Adam Johnson corner with great positivity.

As the ball was recycled, the ball was fed back out right to Johnson, who tumbled in the box amid a forest of German legs, however, referee Bjorn Kuipers was swift to dismiss claims for a penalty.It seemed that this blow took some wind from the English challenge as the spring seemed to disappear from the white-clad men. Having endured a mentally and physically draining semi-final against Sweden, England appeared a yard slower than their counterparts, for whom Ozil continued to impress.At times play swung from end-to-end. Walcott, who barely enjoyed a touch in the second half, was robbed of a great chance by yet another well-timed challenge from Hummels, who seemed to make a specialty of being in the right place at the right time in a defensive sense on countless occasions.

From that pickpocketing, Germany broke down the left, ultimately feeding the ball to substitute Daniel Schwaab, who failed to find the target from the edge of the area.Only moments later, the game really should have been over as Ozil again taunted the English defence, getting a nice break of the ball on the left as he beat Cranie. A square pass appeared to have given Wagner a simple tap-in, but the forward inexplicably sent the ball past the post from inside the six-yard box.Provided with a more difficult chance literally seconds later, the forward was more clinical. Once more Ozil was the instigator of England’s pain, dropping into midfield to collect a pass as the red shirted side broke with great energy.

Drawing in Jack Rodwell, he dispatched a pass into the feet of Sandro Wagner, who drilled a third goal through the legs of the unfortunate Loach.Germany spent the closing minutes counterattacking into giant holes in the English defence. After an embarrassing miss less than ten minutes earlier, Sandro Wagner bagged the goal of the evening, taking aim from the edge of the area and bending a powerful drive past the despairing fingertips of Loach as Germany eased to a thoroughly deserved success.