Germany win U21 European Championship by taking down Portugal in final

Germany won the Under-21s European Championship on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Portugal.

A 49th-minute strike from Manchester City forward Lukas Nmecha proved all Die Mannschaft needed to secure their third U21 trophy.

The group has now secured the Euro crown in two of the past three tournaments, only falling short in 2019 when Spain earned a narrow 2-1 win.

Germany 1-0 Portugal

Despite crisp passing and neat skills in the midfield, Portugal failed to deliver the necessary end product in the final third, recording only one shot on target to Germany's six.

Nmecha dribbled around goalkeeper Diogo Costa to score early in the second half. The 22-year-old, who came up through the England youth system before switching his allegiance, most recently spent a season on loan at Anderlecht, scoring 14 goals in 31 league appearances.

As Portugal pressed for a late equaliser, their defence became increasingly exposed, and they nearly conceded a second goal when Karim Adeyemi outmuscled his man before sprinting clear on goal. Rather than squaring a ball for his team-mate, though, Adeyemi went for goal and was blocked by Costa.

Still, Die Mannschaft managed to hold on to their slim advantage to clinch their Euro triumph.

What has been said?

"What we have done here again, unbelievable," said Germany midfielder Niklas Dorsch to Pro7. "It will be celebrated that way. Tomorrow those responsible will be responsible for getting me to the plane.

"We are European champions. That’s so awesome!"

Further reading

• The rise of Florian Wirtz: The new star of German football shining at the U21 Euros
• 'There's no words to describe how talented Bellingham is'