Germany celebrates a thrilling 3-2 win against Italy in the U21 thriller!

Germany celebrates a thrilling 3-2 win against Italy in the U21 thriller!

On June 22, 2025, the football world was in fever again as Germany and Italy met in a thrilling quarter-final of the U21 European Championship. The highly anticipated duel started at 9 p.m., led by referee Manfredas Lukjančukas from Lithuania. All eyes were on the two teams because the conditions were exciting: Germany had won all three group games and went into the game well prepared, while Italy came second in the group.

In the first half, the spectators saw an intense game in which both teams had chances, but went into the dressing room without any goals. Italy's biggest opportunity came in the 31st minute when Wilfried Gnonto hit the side netting. Even though a 0-0 score at half-time didn't amount to much, the fans were excited to see what the second half would bring.

A dramatic progression

The second half began with a surprise: Italy took a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute thanks to a goal from Luca Koleosho. But the German U21 selection was not willing to give up and equalized in the 68th minute through Nick Woltemade. With a quick turnaround they showed that they were willing to turn the game around.

In the 87th minute, Nelson Weiper put Germany ahead 2-1, but the drama never ended. Italy struck back again in stoppage time: Giuseppe Ambrosino equalized in the 90th minute and brought the score to 2-2. Immediately afterwards, Mattia Zanotti from Italy received a yellow-red card in the 90th minute, which made the situation even more difficult for the team.

The extension

In extra time, Germany had a double majority and used this to gain their own advantage. In the 117th minute, Merlin Röhl managed to score the decisive 3-2 for Germany. With this lead and the players' will to win behind them, they finished the game with another strong performance.

With this victory the boys were able to catapult themselves into the semi-finals of the U21 European Championship, a great success after an excellent group phase. The market value of the German U21 is currently 267.30 million euros, while the Italian team has 190.10 million euros. Germany scored with an average player value of 11.62 million euros compared to 8.27 million euros for the Italians. Despite the close game, Germany remains a clear favorite in the competition and shows how it works when it counts.

The meeting between the two teams is not only exciting this season, but also in the past: in the last ten games between Germany and Italy there was one win for Germany, one draw and no defeats. The coach of the German selection has been a 46-year-old tactician since September 2021, while his Italian colleague, 57, has only been in office since August 2023.

If you are looking for more information about the U21 European Championship statistics and results, you can do so on Kicker read up.