Germany Outlast England in Euro U21 Semi-Final, Win on Penalties

Germany needed penalties to get past England during Tuesday's 2017 Under-21 European Championship semi-final, winning 4-3 on spot-kicks after the match had finished 2-2.

Davie Selke and Demarai Gray both scored during an entertaining first half that saw both teams dominate at times.

Tammy Abraham gave the Three Lions the lead early in the second half, but Felix Platte nodded home from close range, setting up a tense finale.

Penalties were needed after neither team managed to score in the dying minutes and extra time, and Jordan Pickford gave England the advantage by denying Yannick Gerhardt. Julian Pollersbeck saved Abraham's weak effort, however, before stopping Nathan Redmond's shot as well.

Here's a look at the two teams:

The Germans had an appeal for a penalty denied after just three minutes, with contact between Selke and Calum Chambers inside the box.

England made the brighter start, however, and after Gray missed a golden opportunity in two tries―courtesy of a stunning save from Pollersbeck―Will Hughes was also brought down inside the box, with no penalty given.

Sports writer Alex Terrell thought the spot-kick should have been given, even though replays confirmed Gideon Jung got a touch of the ball first:

Nathaniel Chalobah also missed a major opportunity, sending a free header into the waiting arms of Pollersbeck, and Serge Gnabry couldn't convert a lovely pass from Maximilian Arnold.

The better chances kept falling to the Three Lions, and Pollersbeck again had to flash his talent to deny Abraham from a corner. Pickford was also kept busy, with Selke curling a shot within his reach.

Die Mannschaft improved as the half wore on, and it took a massive effort from Hughes to stop Janik Haberer from scoring, with the official once again deciding against awarding a penalty for a shirt tug.

With 10 minutes left in the half, Selke cleverly peeled off his marker before powering home a header, giving Germany the lead. Former Germany international Sebastian Kehl loved it:

The German pressure continued, but out of nowhere, England equalised. Die Mannschaft couldn't clear a corner and the ball fell to Gray, who blasted home a volley from close range.

Henry Winter of The Times praised the team's resilience after going down:

The half ended with yet another controversial moment that should have resulted in a penalty, as Arnold checked Abraham and threw in an elbow for good measure.

The Chelsea man hit back early in the second half, converting a chance after some lovely work in preparation by Hughes. Former England international Gary Lineker was watching:

Jeremy Toljan perhaps should have tied things up shortly after, sending his effort wide.

Germany were all over England for the bulk of the second half, and Platte deservedly tied things up again, taking advantage of some poor defending to power home a corner. Sports commentator Ian Abrahams wasn't surprised:

And Die Mannschaft kept pushing, creating several good chances and keeping Pickford busy. Platte thought he had doubled his tally after 78 minutes, but the linesman flagged him down for offside, with replays proving inconclusive.

Gnabry fired wide, as Die Mannschaft pushed for a winner, with England desperately holding on. On a rare counter, substitute Redmond narrowly missed the mark with a low drive.

The Three Lions held on until extra time, but Germany clearly had the better fitness, and Nadiem Amiri nearly scored within the first minute of the extra period. Penalties appeared the best England could hope for, but per B/R Football, that wasn't saying much:

Momentum shifted toward England in the second half of extra time, but the best chance of the period fell to Amiri, who completely fluffed his shot with the goal begging. 

Penalties had to decide a winner, and while Pickford gave the Three Lions some early hope with a save on Gerhardt, Pollersbeck came through for his team, stopping the shots from Abraham and Redmond.