England were eliminated from the Under-21 European Championships on Tuesday night following a tense penalty shoot-out against Germany.Yep, England exiting an international tournament following a penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of the Germans, who’d have thought it?"We have practised and practised and practised penalties,” England’s U21 coach Aidy Boothroyd insisted, per BBC Radio 5 live, after the match.Asked why England teams struggle with spot-kicks, Boothroyd added: "I have no idea. We've looked at good practice, bad practice, the speed penalties are taken at - we've gone through it all."In the end, their goalkeeper makes two good saves from guys that usually put them in with their eyes closed."

Pollersbeck had a 'note' in his socks

You may have noticed it, but Germany’s goalkeeper Julian Pollersbeck appeared to refer to a note tucked away in his socks midway through the penalty shoot-out.

It was assumed that the Hamburg shot-stopper has done his homework prior to the match, noting down where England’s players tend to aim their penalties.

Clever, right?

Well, it would be if the story was true.

German newspaper Bild have given a rather surprising update about the note, claiming the piece of paper in Pollersbeck’s socks didn’t contain any information about England’s penalty takers.

Instead, it was a bluff, perhaps designed to psyche out England’s players.

The piece of paper was, in fact, a teamsheet from the match.

Bizarre, eh?

In any case, it seemed to work.

Pollersbeck made two saves during the shoot-out, ensuring Germany will be competing in Friday night’s final.