U21 implements mega rotation: win against England, now against Italy!

U21 implements mega rotation: win against England, now against Italy!

The German U21 national team successfully completed its final group game of the 2025 European Championship with a 2-1 win against England. Coach Antonio Di Salvo replaced all eleven starting eleven players and fielded a fresh team in order to spare the players for the knockout round. The previous tournament star Nick Woltemade was allowed to sit on the bench due to this rotation. With this victory, Germany secured victory in the group and will face Italy in the quarter-finals, who await their opponents next Sunday.

In the game in front of 5,624 spectators in Nitra, Germany showed a solid performance. Ansgar Knauff opened the game with a goal in the third minute. Nelson Weiper made it 2-0 with his first goal for the U21s in the 33rd minute. England managed to score again in the 76th minute through Alex Scott, but the pressure from the English, who made three substitutions at half-time, could no longer threaten Germany. The team managed to win confidently over time.

Preparing for Italy

The quarterfinals against Italy will be the first meeting between the two teams in the current tournament. The Italian U21s also qualified for the knockout phase and will pose a challenge for the German team. Di Salvo had already planned his team before the game against England in the knockout round and adjusted the entire line-up in order to go into the decisive games fresh.

In the group phase, Germany won all three games and thus sent a strong signal. The continuous performance, coupled with the defensive stability, makes the German U21s appear as serious competitors in the tournament. England, who have already suffered their last defeat against Germany in Euro 2023, will now face Spain after they failed to prevail in the quarter-finals.

The game against Italy promises to be exciting and offers the German players the opportunity to further prove themselves. Di Salvo will rely on the fresh team having enough energy and motivation to take the next step in this tournament.

With solid preparation and the determination to achieve their goal of European championships, the German U21 will give everything to make it to the semi-finals.

For further details on the line-up and the course of the game against England see ZVW report and Sportbild.