France fall to clinical Germany in U21 Euro semi-final

France’s hopes of reaching the final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship were dashed on Wednesday evening as Thierry Henry’s side were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Germany in Bucharest. A clinical start from the Mannschaft and a disjointed French performance saw the Bleuets crash out at the semi-final stage.

German precision punishes shaky France

It took just eight minutes for the French back line to crack. A poor pass out from defence by Monaco's Soungoutou Magassa led to a turnover that allowed Nelson Weiper, the Mainz striker, to calmly open the scoring from close range. Things quickly went from bad to worse: another defensive mishap saw Magassa and Lukeba miscommunicate, allowing Nick Woltemade to double the lead inside 14 minutes.

Woltemade, Stuttgart’s tall, elegant forward who has emerged as one of the stars of the tournament – was relentless, tormenting the French defence and orchestrating Germany’s transitions.

France rally… but fall short

Despite their early collapse, France showed signs of life in the second half. Quentin Merlin, wearing the armband for the evening, was among the few bright spots. The Marseille full-back drove his side forward and delivered several teasing balls, notably for Thierno Barry, who hit the post late on and saw another close-range header superbly saved by Atubolu.

Yet, the comeback never truly materialised. Thierry Henry rang the changes – including the introductions of Andy Diouf, Wilson Odobert, and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya – but Germany remained composed, mature and unfazed.

A late third goal by Brajan Gruda, Brighton’s winger, confirmed France’s elimination after a VAR check overturned an offside call in stoppage time.

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