England Under-21s have retained their European Championship crown, edging Germany 3-2 in extra time.

Substitute Jonathan Rowe made the difference, scoring the decisive goal less than two minutes after his introduction.

Lee Carsley’s men surged into a 2-0 first-half lead through early strikes from Harvey Elliott and Omari Hutchinson.

Elliott opened scoring in the 5th minute, reacting quickest to a rebound, while Hutchinson doubled the lead in the 24th, firing through the legs of Noah Atubolu following slick build-up involving James McAtee.

Germany pulled one back just before halftime, with Nelson Weiper heading home his fourth of the tournament.

Paul Nebel levelled in the 61st minute with a strike into the top corner.

Germany came close to winning it in stoppage time, hitting the crossbar through Nebel after Charlie Cresswell’s crucial block, but England survived the scare and regrouped.

In extra time, Rowe made an immediate impact, scoring a stooping header from a Tyler Morton cross in the 92nd minute to restore England’s lead.

Despite late pressure and another crossbar hit from Germany’s Merlin Rohl, England held firm.

With the victory, coach Lee Carsley becomes the first manager to win back-to-back U21 Euros for England.