Internationals / Mike Norman / 28 June 2009 / Leave a comment

England are in the U21 European Championship Final... and that sounds really good according to our injured Mike Norman. But at what cost did Friday's victory over Sweden come to Stuart Pearce's young lions?

I can only apologise for not blogging yesterday. The truth is, I had no laptop to work on after volleying it around the living room upon seeing James Milner's hideous penalty shoot-out effort.

I can laugh about it now - whilst sat here nursing a broken foot - as England eventually made it to the final of the U21 European Championship after a sensational night in Gothenburg. Watching our young lions squander a 3-0 half-time lead did nothing for my usual imperturbable nature however, and by the time the match went to penalties I was on the verge of a breakdown.

I absolutely detest penalty shoot-outs you see. They are accountable for at least four of the five unhappiest moments I've endured during my life. The other was when I asked a man I knew (who'd recently had both his legs amputated and was now wheelchair bound) how he was getting on. His response was to humiliate me in front of a queue of people for what he believed was me taking a cheap shot at him. We were at a bus stop at the time.

As much as I admire Stuart Pearce, I have to laugh when he says that his under-21 squad have been practicing penalties for the last two years. As Milner has proved at this tournament (two misses from two spot-kicks), you can practice all you like, but a penalty shoot-out is a complete lottery and invariably boils down to nerves, bottle, and above all else, lady luck.

But thankfully - and I can't believe I'm saying this - England prevailed in a shoot-out and are now in the final of a major international football tournament. Sounds good that doesn't it?

Friday night's dramatic victory over Sweden came at a cost however, as goalkeeper Joe Hart, and strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Fraizer Campbell all received significantly coloured cards to be suspended for the final, whilst there are strong rumours that England's only other striker in the 23-man squad, Theo Walcott, is struggling to shake off a knock.

A full match preview will be available tomorrow form our experts, whilst I will be looking at the mood of the two camps ahead of the final as well as looking at some of the players of the tournament.

As if you care, it's Germany that England will face in Monday night's final after Horst Hrubech's team stunned Italy by recording a surprise 1-0 semi-final victory, thanks to a second half stunner from right-back Andreas Beck. Germany are chasing a unique hat-trick of continental tournament wins, as they have recently tasted glory at both under-17 and uner-19 level.

There is no question of the England lads underestimating the Germans, but they should be extremely confident of victory following the 1-1 draw the teams played out just six days ago. England were much the better side in that game, this despite making 10 changes from the team that had won their two opening group games.

England are available to back at [1.8] to lift the trophy tomorrow night, whilst Germany are available to back at [2.2]. In the Match Odds market, England can be backed at [2.5], Germany at [3.25], and The Draw at [3.3]. Let the excitement begin.