Young Lions react to unforgettable Germany draw

England men’s under-19s head coach Will Antwi and his players were lost for words after playing out the highest-ever scoring game in U19 UEFA EURO Finals history against Germany yesterday night.

With the Young Lions 5-1 down early in the second half, fast forward to the 63rd minute when Jesse Derry netted the equaliser to cap off a ten-goal thriller as it finished all square at 5-5 come the full-time whistle

“We knew it was never over,” explained Derry. “We went into the dressing room at half time and nobody’s heads were down. We knew we could come back.

“At the end of the day, we’re England and we know what we can bring. We knew the game was never going to be over until the final whistle. I’m just so proud of all the boys to keep going until the last kick of the ball.

“We looked at the scoreboard at the end of the game and it just looked like a FIFA game. It was the maddest thing I’ve ever had playing football. I don’t think I’d be able to recreate that emotion. I will definitely never forget this.”

By the half-hour mark, Germany were two goals to the good before Josh King halved the deficit, only for the opposition to run away with the scoreline, making it five just minutes after the restart in the second half.

But England’s Ethan Wheatley sparked the fightback with 52 minutes on the watch to make it 5-2 and from there, the Young Lions kicked on.

“I can’t really describe it,” added Wheatley. “The first half, it didn’t go to plan like you could see. I thought we had some good moments but on the transition at half time, we said that we need to tighten up and I think that’s what we did in the second half.

“We knew what was at stake when it went to 5-1. I couldn’t stop laughing when we got the third and fourth. I thought, ‘right, we’re going to do it now’. The lads showed top resilient and togetherness and fortunately, we got the equaliser.

“We probably could’ve pushed for the winner, but everything is to play for against the Netherlands now.”

Although Antwi’s side made the game difficult for themselves, as the England boss explained, they found a way back and the 42 year old was pleased with the end result.

“I think we showed good spirit,” said Antwi. “That’s what you want to see. This moment will live with them for a long, long time. These are the experiences they’re after. That’s what it’s for.

“On the sideline, it’s frustrating because you see things that sometimes, it’s difficult to control. You want to get on there and see if you can help but you have to find a way of supporting and staying positive and find the energy to keep wishing them on when they’re 5-1 down and still maintain that belief because they need that anchor.

“The players then keep going and if anything, it’s a shame we couldn’t find a winner to make it a really, really glorious game.”

And Antwi explained how he wants his team to be the ‘protagonist of the game’ when the Young Lions come up against the Netherlands in their final game in Group B on Friday 20 June (6pm BST kick-off).

“I’m here to encourage, I’m here to keep them going, I’m here to ensure they find a way to hang in there to find a way to survive and eventually, to find a way to thrive,” explained Antwi.

“We now have it in our favour that if we win our game, we’re through, so that’s going to be our approach.”

England occupy second spot in the standings with two points on the board heading into the Netherlands clash, needing a win on Friday evening against the group leaders who have back-to-back wins under their belt.

“We know we’re not through yet,” commented Derry. “We’ve just got to take what we’ve learnt from this game into the next one.”

“We’ve not had the results that we’ve wanted but after that second half and you’ve seen the togetherness and belief we’ve got in the squad, we just need to get those three points now,” said Wheatley. “It’s all eyes on that game now.”