Defender Ben Gibson is hoping England Under 21s' 3-2 friendly victory over Germany was a dress rehearsal for a European Championship finals showdown. Both sides will head for the Czech Republic during the summer as manager Gareth Southgate attempts to guide the Young Lions to glory, and England will do so having got the better of their German counterparts with a 3-2 win at the Riverside Stadium on Monday evening. Southgate's men had to come from behind twice to set the stage for a late decisive push, and Middlesbrough's Gibson is hoping that will stand them in good stead for the finals tournament. Ben Gibson (right) is hoping England 21s' 3-2 victory against Germany will boost the team's confidence . James Ward-Prowse wheels away in celebration after scoring the winner in England' 3-2 victory . He said: 'Germany were always going to be a good side. You know they are going to be technical and strong, and that's what they were. But we thought we could match them - we did that and ended up getting the result. 'We are hoping we will play against them at some point either in the semi-final or final in the Euros - that would be nice. It would be another tough game. 'They are a good side, so for us to get the win, that was the important thing.' The win against Germany was England's third against fellow finalists with Portugal and the hosts having already succumbed at their hands, and while Southgate is confident progress is being made, he is taking nothing for granted. England were heading towards defeat before Nathan Redmond's strike on 79 minutes . He said: 'We have got depth, which really excites me because I don't think you can go to a tournament relying on a couple of players. 'We have shown across the campaign - we started with the likes of Raheem [Sterling] in, we have had Luke Shaw in, we have had to win matches without all of these players at different times, without Harry [Kane], without Saido [Berahino], and they have kept doing it. 'And then new players have emerged, people like Jesse [Lingard] , who has come back from injury and who has got great potential; Alex Pritchard has just come into the squad. 'The 23, I am probably reasonably clear on 21. There are a couple of places that still, in my mind, people are playing for, but I know whoever goes is totally committed. There won't be any loafing around, there won't be any lads who feel it's a chore to go. England boss Gareth Soutgate looks on during the friendly clash at the Riverside Stadium . 'They'll be in there backing their team-mates, and again, that's important going into a tournament.' England's players had to back each other throughout a testing 90 minutes on Teesside during which impressive Kaiserslautern striker Philipp Hofmann fired the visitors into a 15th-minute lead and after Manchester United winger Lingard, currently on loan at Derby, had levelled, restored their lead five minutes after the restart. But there was to be a twist and after Norwich's Nathan Redmond had made it 2-2 10 minutes from time, skipper James Ward-Prowse capped a fine individual display with an 82nd-minute winner, to the delight of a crowd of 30,178. Jess Lingard (centre) races off to celebrate his first goal for England's Under 21s . The England youngsters celebrate Ward-Prowse's later winner in front of the Riverside crowd . It proved the perfect conclusion to the perfect evening for Gibson, representing his country on his own home ground. He said: 'It was a fantastic occasion. Not just to represent your country, but to do it on your home ground is a bit of a dream come true. 'It was a fantastic moment and the fans were brilliant. I got a great reception and I can't thank them enough for that.'
England Under 21s defeated Germany Under 21s 3-2 on Monday night . Southampton's James Ward-Prowse scored an 82nd-minute winner . Defender Ben Gibson hopes the win will boss England's confidence .