England U21 opponents rocked by theft accusation from 'distraught' woman before final

Germany's Under-21 squad is gearing up for a clash with England in the European Championships final on Saturday, but they've been hit with an unusual distraction amidst claims of beer glass theft. Reportedly interrupted by a "distraught" VIP hostess at Kosice's football arena after their semi-final win over France, the team has faced accusations which cast a shadow over their preparations.

Bild, via The Sun, reports that the woman, working as a VIP host at the Kosicka Futbalova Arena, was left in tears as she forcibly approached the German team's coach, disregarding stewards and an armed guard to snap pictures.

"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," Markus Beer, the Germany Under-21 press officer, attempted to clear the air over the curious incident.

"Someone must have thrown them away. She obviously thought our players had simply taken them. But that was definitely not the case."

With an impressive streak of victories, including a 2-1 triumph over England in the group stages and an intense extra-time battle against Italy in the quarter-finals, Germany heads determinedly towards this year's final match.

Germany breezed into the final with a comfortable win over France, taking an early lead with goals from Nelson Wieper and Nick Woltemade. Brighton's rising star Brajan Gruda sealed the deal in stoppage time, ensuring a resounding triumph.

England, on the other hand, had to dig deep, scraping through the group stage with just four points. They replicated last year's final by knocking out Spain in the quarters and edged past the Netherlands in the semis, thanks to Harvey Elliott's crucial brace.

Reflecting on his decisive performance, Elliott said: "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.

"It's about how you take that, and those opportunities are vital. Today I'm just so happy I was able to contribute and get the two goals to win us the game."