England U21's opponents Germany in beer mug row as ‘crying hostess’ accuses them of stealing
Germany's Under-21 side are preparing to take on England in the final of the European Championships on Saturday, but their build-up has been disrupted by a bizarre theft accusation
Germany's Under-21 squad are set to face England in the European Championships final on Saturday, but their build-up has been rocked by accusations of stealing beer glasses.
The players were reportedly confronted by a "distraught" woman accusing them of the alleged theft following their U21 Euros semi-final victory over France in Kosice. Antonio Di Salvo's team have refuted any wrongdoing, suggesting instead that the glasses must have been taken without their knowledge.
As per Bild (via The Sun), the woman - believed to be a VIP hostess at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena - was visibly upset as she stormed towards Germany's team coach. Reports suggest she brushed off stewards and an armed security guard to get close to the vehicle and try to take photos.
"It was all completely different. The woman had brought several beer mugs into the catacombs, presumably for the referees. Then later, empty mugs were there, which were suddenly gone," explained the Germany Under-21 press officer, who happens to be named Markus Beer.
"Someone must have chucked them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case."
Germany head into this year's final having won every game at the tournament so far. They edged past England 2-1 in the group stages, before requiring extra-time to knock out Italy in the quarter-finals.
The semi-finals were more straightforward, as they took a 2-0 lead against France within the first 15 minutes, thanks to goals from Nelson Wieper and Nick Woltemade. Brighton's young talent Brajan Gruda sealed the game with a goal in the dying moments of the second half, rounding off a dominant 3-0 win.
England's journey hasn't been quite as smooth sailing, but they've shown grit, managing to scrape through despite only picking up four points from their three group matches.
They knocked out Spain in the quarters, echoing the 2023 final, while a brace from Harvey Elliott secured a 2-1 triumph over the Netherlands in the semis.
"You can speak as much as you want on the pitch, you can say whatever, but at the end of the day when the moment comes and you need to show up, and you need to, for example, in my situation, score a goal," Elliott reflected after his match-winning double.
"It's about how you take that, and those opportunities are vital. Today I'm just so chuffed I was able to chip in and net the two goals to secure us the win."