The German U21s put another exclamation mark at the end of the international season and underlined their ambitions to win the European Championship. In the friendly friendly in Valenciennes, coach Antonio Di Salvo’s team only managed a 2-2 (1-0) draw against France after a brace from Maximilian Beier, but the DFB team remained in the 13th game undefeated in series.
Borussia Dortmund’s storm hope Beier scored with the first opportunity after kick-off and break (4th/50th), France managed the comeback through Bayern young star Mathys Tel (62nd/penalty kick) and Loum Tchaouna (90th+3). And yet: With five wins from eight games in 2024, strong qualifying and two decent test games under their belt, the DFB selection is going into the final preparation for the finals in Slovakia (June 11th to 28th) with a lot of tailwind after the turn of the year.
Di Salvo only changed to three positions after Friday’s convincing 3-0 win against Denmark. Top scorer Youssoufa Moukoko had to sit on the bench again, Paul Wanner, who left with back problems, was replaced by Nick Woltemade. Ansgar Knauff and Hendry Blank came in for Brajan Gruda and Tim Oermann.
The French, on the other hand, experimented, only Augsburg’s Chrislain Matsima remained in the starting line-up compared to the 2-2 draw in Italy. Even without Bundesliga stars Enzo Millot and Hugo Ekitike, who are missing due to injury, becoming the Olympic silver medalist is a “very difficult task,” emphasized Di Salvo on the ran microphone before kick-off: “We wanted to have quality to see where we stand. “
DFB team got off to a dream start
And just like against the Danes, the DFB team got off to a dream start: Woltemade crossed the ball at full speed, and Beier, standing free at the penalty spot, only had to hold out his toe. In an otherwise uneventful first half, the German defense was particularly convincing; Tel had a difficult time in the French attack center.
After the break, the Equipe Tricolore showed significant improvement – but once again the German selection was ice cold. Beier completed a counterattack with a header from Knauff’s cross. With the 2-0 lead behind them, Di Salvo brought on Moukoko and Gruda (56th), the former Mainz player caused the penalty, which Tel safely converted.
There are two more test matches scheduled for the German U21s in March. Matches are currently planned in the European Championship host country Slovakia and at home against Spain, but the DFB wants to wait for the draw for the group phase on December 3rd in Bratislava before the final confirmation. Like France, Germany is in pot two, with a total of 16 nations taking part in the tournament.
Source: www.sport.de
