I want revenge against Germany in final, says England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce

Jun 28 2009

STUART PEARCE will be on a revenge mission when his England Under-21 stars battle Germany in the European Championship Final tomorrow.

Psycho twice crashed to heartbreaking defeats against the Germans as a player in major semi-finals.

He missed a spot-kick in the the 1990 World Cup shoot-out and suffered more penalty agony when Germany beat England again at Euro 96.

But his luck turned on Friday when the English kids scraped through on penalties after blowing a three-goal lead in their semi-final against hosts Sweden.

Pearce reckons the final could also go all the way - and insists it's payback time for old enemies Germany.

He said: "I've had four shoot-outs with England.

"We beat Spain at Euro 96 then there was the win against the Swedes on Friday.

"But I've also lost twice against Germany. I'd like to turn that around and maybe we can do it on Monday.

"The team with the most guts will win the game. It's a fantastic final.

"This is the furthest I've been in international football and we need one more win."

Skipper Mark Noble is also dreaming of glory and the West Ham star can't wait to get his hands on the trophy.

He said: "I'm not going to lie, I've been dreaming about lifting the cup. So it's fingers crossed until the final." But Noble knows his side can't afford to play like they did against the Swedes.

Pearce's troops looked to be coasting to the final after romping 3-0 up until three quick Sweden goals took the game to extra-time.

And winger James Milner admits they must perform better against Germany.

The Aston Villa ace said: "The semi-final felt like a defeat because of the standards we have set."