England captain: It would be ‘unbelievable’ to lift the trophy

England Under-21 captain, Mark Noble, says he would love to lift the trophy after Monday’s final with Germany in Malmo.

The West Ham midfielder said: “That would be unbelievable I would love to do that, but we’ve got to win first and that’s the main thing.”

Despite taking an early lead against and increasing their advantage to three goals by half-time England crumbled in the second half of their semi-final against Sweden conceding three goals in twelve minutes - taking the match into extra-time and then penalties. The 22 year-old was taken off after 70 minutes with England leading 3-1.

Noble said: “We started really brightly, we have done the last couple of games, getting an early goal settles you down, and we got two more and we were cruising at the time. But obviously we got a bit complacent in the second half. But we dug in and went though extra-time and now we’re in the final, and no-one else cares about that game now.”

Noble watched on from the sidelines as his team-mates held on to force penalties, and he admitted that it was harder to watch than it would have been to take one. “It was worse standing there watching, obviously you’ve got good friends taking penalties and you dread it if they miss,” he said.

If previous encounters between the two countries are anything to go by, penalties may again decide England’s fate against Germany. If the penalties are as successful as they were against Sweden, Noble will be lifting the trophy - and then he will be able to believe it.

Photo Credit: Jonny Payne

Lewis set to be named final ‘keeper

Joe Lewis could be set to be handed the gloves for the England Under-21s final against Germany on Monday night, with Joe Hart suspended.

Hart collected his second booking of the tournament during the dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Sweden on Friday, meaning he will now miss out on a final appearance. But Lewis says he is ready to play if called upon.

The 6ft 6ins goalkeeper said: “We’ve trained for the last month getting ready for this to get to the final. I was always training as if I was going to play in every game, so I made sure I was prepared properly should I be selected I’ll be ready.”

Lewis feels for Hart who has been the regular number one in this tournament and he pays tribute to the performances of the Manchester City man. “It’s sad for Hart, I was genuinely gutted for him because he’s been magnificent for us to get us to this stage, but I’m sure whoever’s playing, he’ll give them his full backing.”

Pearce is set to make his decision as to who will play in goal in the next couple of days, with Lewis and Watford goalkeeper, Scott Loach, in contention. Both goalkeepers have so far played 45 minutes each in the group game against Germany, so they will know their opponents well.

England forwards Gabriel Agbonlahor and Frazier Campbell will also be missing through suspension, so Theo Walcott is expected to start as the lone front-man.

Gibbs relieved with penalty win

Kieran Gibbs knew he had to score his penalty in the under-21s semi-final with Sweden last night and luckily for him he did, helping England through to the final.

Gibbs admits he was nervous before stepping-up, he said: “It was nerve-wracking, you just want to do well for the team and make sure you put the ball away. I’m glad we did that and all the boys stuck together and we did our job.”

Gibbs hopes he and his Arsenal team-mate, Theo Walcott, can win some silverware, something which has eluded them in the past couple of seasons, and is excited to be playing in the final.

“We’ve had a great tournament, we’ve done really well and the lads have shown great team spirit. We’re just thrilled to be in the final,” he said.

The 19 year-old’s impressive performances during the tournament and also for his club towards the end of the season, have raised questions as to whether Fabio Capello could pick him in the forthcoming England squad.

For now though, Gibbs stresses he is only concentrating on Monday’s match with Germany in Malmo and who can blame him?

Photo Credit: Jonny Payne

Match Report: Semi-final- England v Sweden

England Under-21s held their nerve to win a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Sweden securing a place in the final of the European under-21 Championships. This was after throwing away a three-goal lead after only 29 minutes.

England will now face their old adversaries, Germany in Monday’s final in Malmo, after they overcame Italy with an Andreas Beck first-half strike.

It was all too easy for England in the first half as they went three-nil to the good within half an hour. A goal in the first minute from Martin Cranie, a Nedum Onuoha strike, and an own-goal by Mattias Bjarsmyr had put England in complete control.

Sweden left the field at half-time to a chorus of boos from the passionate home support, but they hit back with three goals in the second half. It was shades of Liverpool v AC Milan in Istanbul, but there was no Steven Gerrard in sight, this time it was Marcus Berg who inspired the comeback.

Berg, who topped the goalscorer’s charts coming into the match, increased his tally to seven. His strike-partner, Ola Toivonen, scored the other. All three goals coming in a twelve-minute period midway through the second-half.

After a tense extra-time where England were reduced to ten-men, as substitute Frazier Campbell picked up his second booking, it went to penalties.

The whole stadium held its breath and despite James Milner missing England’s first penalty, the team in white advanced 5-4 after Berg’s effort was saved and Guillermo Molins’ penalty rebounded off of the post.

Stuart Pearce opted to start with the majority of the team which had comprehensively beaten Spain, having rested the players for the last group game against Germany.

Joe Hart regained his place in goal, James Milner returned from suspension and Gabriel Agbonlahor from injury - while Theo Walcott returned to the starting line-up for the first time since England’s first group game with Finland.

It was a perfect start for England as they silenced the home crowd within a minute. A James Milner corner found its way through to right-back Martin Cranie, who shot through a group of players. Walcott left it, and somehow thre ball found its way into the net.

Sweden looked to respond immediately but they couldn’t find a way through England’s solid back-line. Further upfield, the midfield duo of Milner and Noble and the pace of Agbonlahor and Walcott upfront were troubling the hosts.

It was soon 2-0. A James Miner corner, this time from the left, again produced panic in the Sweden defence in the 27^th minute. Onuoha had time to take a touch before blasting the ball into the bottom corner.

The third was not too long in coming. Eleven minutes later, Swedish goalkeeper, Johan Dahlin flapped at another Milner corner, and Walcott controlled it on the right. The Arsenal man’s cross was flicked on by Lee Cattermole and Mattias Bjarsmyr, the Sweden captain, turned the ball into his own net.

The Gamla Ullevi fell silent as half-time approached. Sweden had shown so much promise at times during the tournament, yet here they were 3-0 down after only 29 minutes.

The half-time whistle blew but the boos were even louder from the home support, showing how much the Swedes have come to love the competition they are hosting.

The second-half started very much in the same vain. Sweden, however, started to gain control of the match with the quality of Rasmus Elm and Marcus Berg coming to the fore.

It was to be the latter who was to have the most telling contribution on the match. Substitute, Molins, burst down the right and sent in a low cross, which the defence failed to deal with. Berg found space in the box and added to his five-goal tally with a sumptuous half volley into the bottom left corner.

Berg and Toivonen have looked a threat throughout the tournament and the PSV striker soon got in on the act. The blond-haired number seven had a touch of David Beckham about him as he lined up a free-kick on the edge of the box in the 75^th minute. He lifted it over the wall and into the top-right corner; Hart had no chance and the game was back on.

The crowd now started to believe and the England players started to look nervous. Needless passes were given away, and six minutes after the second goal, Sweden had their third.

A Gustav Svensson cross from the right eluded Berg in the middle, but Robin Soder, at the back post, flicked it back to the striker, who dispatched a ferocious shot into the net.

The stadium erupted, and with nine minutes to play there only looked like being one winner.

England held on though for the 90 minutes, and the game continued into extra-time. On a very hot day in Gothenburg this was the least either team wanted but a place in the final was at stake so neither team would give up.

Extra-time was a tense affair, with niggly challenges coming in from both sides. Frazier Campbell, the Manchester United striker, had already been booked and he was soon given his marching orders by the Turkish referee for a lunge.

It was now an uphill struggle for England, and Berg almost won it for Sweden. The tournament’s leading goalscorer was inches from claiming his eighth in four games when he rose above the defence to head a Svensson cross against the bar.

But it wasn’t to be, and the game inevitably came down to the cruel affair that is penalty-kicks.

James Milner stepped-up first. As the Yorkshireman placed his standing foot on the ground, it gave way, sending him flat on his back and the ball well over the bar. The Aston villa winger, sat in the ground in disbelief for a minute before trudging back to the half-way line.

Sweden scored their first penalty through Elm and then the England goalkeeper, Hart stepped-up making no mistake. Hart then saved from Berg, of all people, to level the scores.

With four successful kicks for Sweden and five for England, the shoot-out entered sudden-death. Molins had to score to keep the hosts in the tournament. His shot was low but it struck the outside of post. As it dawned on them that they had won the shoot-out 5-4, the England squad rushed from the bench to celebrate with Hart - while an eerie silence descended on the stadium.

The only downside to the epic game is the bookings of Agbonlahor in the first half and Hart during the shoot-out, and the sending-off of Campbell - ruling all three out of the final.

The England team would not have been worrying about that last night though as they head back to their team camp in high spirits, knowing they will face their old foes, Germany in what is sure to be an intriguing final.

Photo Credit: Jonny Payne

Live Commentary: England v Sweden

For live commentary from Gothenburg on England v Sweden semi-final of the under-21 European Championship, please click here

Match Preview: England v Sweden

The city of Gothenburg will play host to Sweden versus England tonight as both sides aim to make it through to the final.

Thomas Walfridsson, Local Organising Committee (LOC) project manager for Gothenburg said: “Having Sweden versus England here for the semi-final, is like hitting the jackpot.”

He notes that many of the Swedish team will be comfortable playing in the new Gamla Ullevi stadium, which has a capacity of 16,700.

“In this Swedish team there are seven players who play here or just outside the city and everyone knows the players. So this is the home ground for them. The coach is also from Gothenburg,” he said.

After a shaky start in their first group game against Finland, scraping through with a 2-1 win with ten-men, England’s performances have since improved markedly.

England’s next game, against one of the tournament favourites, Spain, was an emphatic performance of pace and strength with Fabrice Muamba and Micah Richards shining.

With England qualified, Pearce chose to rest the majority of that team in their next match against Germany. It was a gamble that did not look to have paid-off when Germany took an early lead, but England gradually took control and equalized through a Jack Rodwell header. A draw was enough to see England through as group winners, setting up tonight’s encounter with Sweden.

Stuart Pearce’s men have been practicing their penalty kicks ahead of the game. The young lions succumbed to hosts Holland after an epic penalty shoot-out at the same stage in 2007, and they would not want a repeat this year. 

Sweden coach, Jorgen Lennartsson, has admitted that practicing penalties is not high on his agenda. “It is about the situation in the game, how the performance has been in the match until the penalty shoot-out, the players who have confidence, the players who feel fit, and the players with experience in this situation. So for me it’s not possible to do this ranking now because we have to do this when the game is over and feel how everyone is.”

Sweden have looked in breathtaking form at times in this tournament scoring nine goals in their three group games, including a 5-1 rout of Belarus who troubled Serbia and Italy.

Marcus Berg (pictured) has scored five goals in the three games and is the leading scorer in the tournament. His partnership with PSV Eindhoven’s Ola Toivonen is something England will need to be wary of.

Rasmus Elm , the creator in midfield, will also be a player to look out for and of course there will be the extra hurdle of the passionate home support. There was disappointment though, for Pontus Wernbloom and Emir Bajrami, who miss out through suspension.

A final in Malmo with either Italy or Germany awaits the victor in what is sure to be a compelling match.

 Photo credit: antoon

Match Preview: Italy v Germany

These two famous footballing nations will line up against each other at Helsingborg's Olympia tonight as they aim to make it through to the final against either England or Sweden.

Italy will be looking to add to their five tournament wins at this level while Germany will be looking for their first.

Tonight's match pits arguably the best defence of the tournament against the best attack. Germany have only conceded one goal in their three qualifying games, a Jack Rodwell header for England.

Benedikt Howedes and Jerome Boateng have been impressive in the German centre-back pairing. Howedes has chipped in with a goal while boateng set up Gonzalo Castro's strike against England.

Italy, meanwhile, have a trio of attacking stars in the form of Sebastian Giovinco, Robert Aquafresca and Mario Balotelli (pictured). The latter will return from suspension following his sending-off against Sweden, but the Ghanaian-born striker showed his class with an expertly taken finish before his moment of madness.

Aquafresca has also looked potent in attack. The Cagliari striker scored three times in the group stage and is attracting interest both at home and abroad. he currently lies second in the list of top goalscorers in the tournament, behind Marcus Berg who has five goals.

Giovinco, meanwhile, is the creative force in the team, often dropping deep to link up with the midfielders. His small frame allows him a low centre of gravity making him difficult to knock-off the ball.

It will be an intriguing match and no doubt a competitive one as games between these nations generally are. With a place in the final at stake no love will be lost in the most fanatic of Swedish footballing cities.

Photo Credit: segnaleorario

Match Report: Italy v Belarus

Italy have set up a semi-final date with Germany as two goals from Robert Aquafresca overcame a spirited Belarus side, who had earlier taken a shock lead.

Sergei Kisylak swivelled to hit a half-volley into the bottom corner sending the Belarus bench into a sprawling mass of bodies in the 45th minute, but a penalty from Robert Aquafresca a minute later and then a second-half tap-in from the Cagliari striker sent the Italians through.

There was a disappointing turn-out at the Olympia stadium in Helsingborgs, with the 12,500 capacity stadium only around a tenth full.

It was a bright start by Italy who took control of the game and looked to use the pace of Ignazio Abate on the right-wing at every opportunity. Sebastian Giovinco (pictured) was also finding a lot of space as he dropped deep to link up with the midfield.

Abate had replaced the suspended Mario Balotelli, and his contribution here shows that Italy have strength in depth in wide areas.

Italy had to make a change fifteen minutes in, as Paolo De Ceglie limped off with a knee injury after going in for a crunching challenge, Daniele Dessena came on in his place.

The first real opportinity of the match came out of nowhere. Sergei Krivets, who had scored a long-range effort against Sweden almost replicated the feat. He was given space 25 yards out and hit a ferocious dipping shot which flew inches over the bar.

It was then Italy's turn to try their luck from range. Marchisio had time to collect and settle himself before dispatching a low drive which narrowly missed the left-hand post.

Half an hour into the match Italy had two attempts cleared off the line. First, Abate's, and then from the resulting corner, Bocchetti's headers were cleared from under the goalposts. There were claims that the first clearance was made using an arm but the referee waved away the appeals.

On the stroke of half-time Belarus took a shock lead. Mikhail Afanasiev whipped a dangerous low cross into the box and Kislyak swivelled hitting the ball on the half-volley across Andrea Consigli and into the bottom corner. Kislyak ran to the bench to be mobbed by the numerous Bealrus players and coaching staff.

Italy responded immediately though. Afanasiev, maybe still reeling from his assist, handled a cross in the penalty area and the referee had no doubts and pointed to the spot.

With the last kick of the first half, Aquafresca stepped-up and coolly slotted the ball past Chesnovski.

Soon after the restart, Aquafreca could have had his second. The Italian marksman found space in the penalty box but sliced his effort after being put under pressure.

Italy then came even coser in the 57th minute as Bochetti rose above the defence to head a Giovinco corner against the bar, it was scrambled clear and Cigarini's follow-up shot was blocked.

Italy were not having it all their own way however, as Leonid Kovel lined up a free-kick from 25 yards out, and Consigli would have been relieved to see the swerving shot drift narowly over.

Giovinco nearly scored the goal that he had deserved on 65 minutes, when he raced onto a Antonio Candreva through-ball. The little Juventus man tried to lift it over the onrushing goalkeeper, but Chesnovski managed to get a hand to it. The ball bounced towards goal but it was hastily knocked behind by Bordachov.

Italy did not hae to wait long for the second however, as eight minutes later another through-ball by Candreva put Giovinco one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he drew Chesnovski towards him and unselfishly squared the ball to Aquafresca who eagerly tapped it into the empty net.

Italy were looking to make the game safe and Giovinco nearly made it three fifteen minutes from time. He was given acres of space on the edge of the box and dispatched a dipping effort onto the bar.

Italy were celebrating soon afterwards though as the final whistle went, and they will remain in Helsingborg for their semi-final with Germany on Friday.

Photo Credit: Prettyfriendship