The German U21 team led by goalkeeper Youssoufa Moukoko continues to win the European Championship qualification. In the 4-1 (1-0) win against Estonia in Paderborn, coach Antoni Di Salvo’s selection made things unnecessarily difficult. The team around double goalscorer Rocco Reitz failed to make their clear superiority clearer in the result.
With nine points from three games, the German Football Association team stays ahead of the Poles, who have twelve more points in one game. On Tuesday (6 p.m./ProSiebenMaxx) in Essen, the German youth national team wants to catch up with Poland and take an important step towards winning the group.
Moukoko again
In front of 5,493 spectators in Paderborn, Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier took the deserved lead at halftime (39th minute) after a long unsuccessful attempt. After the break, Dortmund’s Moukoko increased the score to 2-0 (53′), before the underdogs reduced it to 1-2 out of nowhere through Danil Kuraksin (64′). Di Salvo had to wait a long time at his birthplace until Gladbach’s Reitz scored 3-1 (88′) and 4-1 (90′). He made a mistake when scoring the next goal shortly after coming on as a substitute.
After the Poles had won 2-1 against Israel shortly before the German game kicked off, Germany got off to a very lively start against the underdogs. After two aluminum goals from Freiburg’s Merlin Röhl (9th) and Moukoko (12th), Beier also hit the post with his well-placed shot from 20 meters. This time the ball bounced into the goal.
On course towards group victory
Moukoko, who had scored eleven times in nine U21 international matches up to the Estonia game, was always surrounded by several defenders when he tried. After initially unsuccessful attempts, the 18-year-old then struck as usual. His unstoppable left-footed shot was the sixth goal in the current qualifying phase. He is instrumental in ensuring that the German team stays on course for the 2025 European Championship finals in Slovakia. She would definitely be there as group winner.
In contrast to Moukoko, his Dortmund club colleague passed up the U21 opportunity and preferred club training to the national team. He wants to recommend himself for more working time there. “It’s a sign from him how important he takes this,” said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf during the half-time break at ProSiebenMaxx. “This may also be a wasted opportunity, I regret that.” Neuendorf pointed out that the U21 has always been a stepping stone. The coaches would decide on the consequences.
