England retain Euro U21s crown as Lee Carsley's heroic Young Lions defeat Germany

Jonathan Rowe emerged as the hero - coming off the bench to secure victory for Lee Carsley's Young Lions - as they successfully defended their European Championship Under-21 title on Saturday night.

Rowe, the 22-year-old former Norwich striker now spear-heading Marseille's attack, expertly connected with Tyler Morton's perfectly placed cross to score with his first touch. This crucial goal helped England's young squad clinch a hard-fought win against their long-standing rivals in Bratislava.

England seemed set for a comfortable win when Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson put them 2-0 up within an electrifying first 25 minutes. However, they then had to dig deep into their reserves of resilience - when Germany retaliated with two stunning goals from Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel.

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With this victory, Carsley has now matched the feat of Dave Sexton, who led the Under-21s to consecutive Euro titles in 1982 and 1984.

Thomas Tuchel, England's senior team manager, was present to witness the thrilling match, having flown in from the Club World Cup in the United States to support the country he now calls home - against his native Germany.

Germany had previously beat Italy and France on their journey to the final, and even defeated England 2-1 in the group stages despite resting several key players.

Antonio Di Salvo's young German side had been unbeaten for 20 matches, a streak that spanned over two years. Their attacking force included Nick Woltemade, the 23-year-old who recently netted 17 Bundesliga goals to guide Stuttgart secure a Champions League spot, prompting Bayern Munich to shell out £43million for his services.

Woltemade netted six times during Germany's campaign, earning him the Golden Boot and a runners-up medal.

England could have comfortably sealed the game by half-time, their dominance so pronounced.

The Three Lions took the lead in the fifth minute. Hutchinson had a golden opportunity, but his shot was too close to Germany goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. However, when the ball fell to Elliott, the Liverpool midfielder didn't hesitate, taking a touch before driving his fifth goal of the tournament into the bottom corner with his left foot.

James McAtee then unleashed a powerful shot just past the far post and was left stunned moments later when his pass found Jay Stansfield at the far post with an open goal, only for the Birmingham striker to misjudge his delivery.

Yet, England did manage to score their much-anticipated second goal in the 24th minute, courtesy of McAtee's pass which allowed Hutchinson to fire his shot through Atubolu's legs.

Hutchinson could have added another to his tally following another fluid move which left the German defence in tatters, but his effort was deflected wide.

Atubolu then pulled off a crucial save to deny McAtee from scoring when he connected with Hutchinson's centre with a first-time finish.

The match took a turn when influential player Alex Scott was forced off the pitch with a knee injury - following a collision with Germany's captain Eric Martel.

Substitute Morton was still adjusting to the pace of the game when he lost track of Weiper. Nebel delivered a cross from the right, which the German forward converted into a goal with a powerful header that grazed past England 'keeper James Beadle's fingertips.

This goal seemed to invigorate the German side. McAtee narrowly missed restoring England's two-goal lead after an impressive 40-yard sprint.

Yet, Nebel found himself with ample space around the hour-mark when England failed to clear a corner, and he capitalised on this with a beautifully curled shot into the top corner.

England retaliated, and another substitute Brooke Norton-Cuffy could have clinched the win but unfortunately scuffed a promising opportunity too close to Atubolu. In the fourth minute of injury time, England had a narrow escape when Nebel's quick shot deflected off Norton-Cuffy and hit the crossbar.

German substitute Merlin Rohl thought he had created a magical moment in the final seconds, but his shot ricocheted off the crossbar. Carsley then introduced Ethan Nwaneri and Rowe for extra-time and, just 90 seconds later, the game-changing moment occurred.