Lee Carsley Aims for Under-21 Euro Hat-Trick as England Overcomes Germany for Consecutive Title.

Lee Carsley expressed immense pride in his players after they triumphed over Germany 3-2 in extra time in Bratislava, claiming their second consecutive Under-21 European Championship title; however, the manager is already focusing on making more history in the coming two years.

England had to exert considerable effort to defend their title, having squandered a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel. Nevertheless, a crucial header from Jonathan Rowe in the 91st minute proved pivotal in securing the victory.

This marked Rowe’s first goal of the tournament, and Carsley praised the Marseille forward for seizing the opportunity when it arose.

In his post-match press conference, Carsley remarked: “Jonathan has performed exceptionally well whenever he has been given a chance at Marseille, and he truly deserves his place in the squad.”

“He might have thought he was out of the reckoning, but he has undeniably earned his spot. He has started several matches, come on as a substitute, made an impact, and his enthusiasm during our time at the hotel and training has been infectious.”

Germany will likely reflect on the final with a sense of regret, particularly since the tournament’s top goalscorer, Nico Woltemade, failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 120 minutes of play.

Discussing his strategy to keep the striker at bay, Carsley stated: “Our two centre-backs, Jarrell Quansah and Charlie Cresswell, along with Alex (Scott) and Elliott (Anderson), deserve significant credit for that.

“We aimed to essentially envelop him when the ball was near, knowing how perilous he can be.”

“We probably only focused on him for about five minutes in total because I prefer to concentrate on our own attacking threats.”

Their success in Slovakia was built around a lone striker format, led by Jay Stansfield. In the second half, he was substituted for a more defensive player, Brooke Norton-Cuffy. Rowe, introduced at the beginning of extra time, quickly made his mark in the number nine role with his goal.

Carsley’s tactical shift to a strikerless formation for the final 28 minutes proved to be England’s best chance for victory.

“I always aim to have as many attacking players on the pitch because I wanted to win and score. The longer we can keep Harvey (Elliott) and James (McAtee) on, the better our chances of either creating or scoring a goal.”

“In my view, substitutions are primarily about attack, and I want this generation of England players to focus on scoring rather than simply defending and leaving it to penalties or fate.”

“They definitely took that message on board; every time we pushed forward, we aimed to find the net.”

England’s achievement in securing back-to-back titles mirrors that of the 1980s under Dave Sexton, who accomplished the same feat.

The tournament has evolved since those days, and six games in 16 days has been quite a journey for the squad. Carsley credited the victory to his entire team and their commitment to delivering results, while also keeping the possibility of pursuing an unprecedented hat-trick in 2027 open.

He added: “I’m not rushing to look ahead too quickly. Achieving what Dave Sexton did in ’82 and ’84 was a fantastic target, and the most crucial aspect is for the Under-21s to continue winning and producing players for the senior team.”

“It’s an excellent goal to aim for, and I’m genuinely looking forward to it. I don’t believe it has ever been accomplished before.”

“But, we must give immense credit to this squad. I am incredibly proud of the players.”