Germany 4 Romania 2: Holders through to Euro U21 final

Gian-Luca Waldschmidt and Nadiem Amiri completed late doubles to send Germany through to the final of the European Under-21 Championship with a dramatic 4-2 win over Romania, who finished with 10 men.

George Puscas’ first-half brace overturned Amiri’s excellent 21st-minute opener, but the tournament’s leading scorer Waldschmidt took matters into his own hands after the break.

Having restored parity from the spot six minutes into the second half, the Freiburg forward stepped up to slot in a low free-kick in the final minute of normal time.

Amiri then sent the holders through in style, curling home from a dead ball after Alex Pascanu picked up a second booking for a foul on substitute Lukas Nmecha.

Amiri had opened his account for the tournament with a low finish across Ionut Radu at the culmination of a brilliant run to kick-start an enthralling encounter.

Having struck the woodwork from close range, Puscas was handed a reprieve by VAR when referee Orel Grinfeld adjudged Timo Baumgartl to have fouled Ianis Hagi in the build-up.

Puscas atoned for his miss from the resultant penalty and he doubled his tally in the 44th minute with a towering header.

Alexander Nubel denied Puscas a hat-trick and that save paid further dividends after the restart, as Waldschmidt dispatched a spot-kick after Hagi dragged down Mahmoud Dahoud.

Nmecha missed a glorious chance as extra time beckoned, but Waldschmidt’s crisp strike broke Romanian hearts.

Amiri compounded their misery in the 94th minute with a sublime effort following Pascanu’s desperate tug on Nmecha.