Two goals from Bayer Leverkusen’s wunderkind Florian Wirtz secured Germany’s passage to the 2021 U-21 European Championships’ final. Stefand Kuntrz-led side will meet Portugal in the trophy clash, who dumped holders Spain out of the competition in the semis.
Holders Spain were eliminated from the 2021 U-21 European Championships by Portugal, who ended La Rojita’s dream of winning the crown for a record sixth time. Portugal will meet Germany in the final of the tournament after the latter dispatched the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
Germany will be looking to lift the cup for the third time in history. Portugal, on the other hand, will be hoping to emulate their senior team by winning the competition for the first time.
As is customary, Spain held the majority of the possession during their semi-final tie against Portugal. La Rojita couldn’t find a breakthrough though, despite going close on several occasions. Captain Marc Cucurella hit the post right at the start of the second half, before Manu Garcia and Brahim Diaz both went close.
However, the Spanish hearts were broken in the 80th minute when Jorge Cuenca inadvertently diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper. Fabio Viera’s shot took a massive deflection off the Villarreal defender, which hit the crossbar, and beat Aitor Fernandez in goal.
In the second semi-final, Germany beat the Netherlands courtesy of two early goals by Bayer Leverkusen’s Wirtz. The midfielder missed out on the U-21’s group stage by virtue of being selected for the senior squad. However, the 18-year-old made an immediate impact on his return, as he scored twice within the first eight minutes of the match.
Ajax defender Per Schuurs pulled one back for the Oranje late on, but Germany held on to win the semi-final 2-1. Germany previously won the competition in 2009 and 2017 and reached the final in 2019. Portugal, on the other hand, are yet to lift the trophy. They have played in a couple of finals, most recently in 2015, but were the runners-up on both occasions.
