Germany Triumphs over England with Rotational Tactics, Set to Clash with Italy in Quarter-Finals
Under-21 Victory Secured Following Major Lineup Shuffle - Quarters against Italy - Youth Team Wins after Major Lineup Shuffle - Quarters Against Italy
You better believe it! Germany's young gunners are on a roll, pocketing a well-deserved win against England in the U21 European Championship's group stage finale, securing their spot in the quarter-finals against Italy. Despite the absence of star player Nick Woltemade and a significant team rotation, the German Football Association's squad played like seasoned vets, winning 2:1 over the reigning champions by a display of grit, skill, and unity.
Frankfurt's Ansgar Knauff (the 3rd minute) and Mainz's Nelson Weiper (33rd) managed to put smiles on the faces of Woltemade & Co. on the bench with their impressive goals. Alex Scott's goal for England in the 76th minute only served to momentarily dampen the joy.
"We've shown we've got depth in our squad, which is a testament to the quality of the players," Knauff told Sat.1, adding, "Now we want to make it to the semi-finals." He remained humble about his own contribution, saying, "I'm just happy I could help the team today."
Coach Di Salvo goes for strategy
Two years ago at the 2023 Euros, Germany went down 0:2 against England, their most recent loss. Facing the same opponents this time around, Germany emerged victorious in their 13th European Championship duel in Nitra, with 5,624 spectators cheering them on.
Coach Antonio Di Salvo made a drastic move, rotating the entire starting lineup after securing a quarter-final spot. "At first, I thought I'd keep one axis on the pitch, but after discussing it with the players, who found playing every three days tough, things changed," explained the 46-year-old on the reasoning behind the extreme changes.
B-squad shows its might
The B-team didn't disappoint, as players who clinched wins against Slovenia (3:0) and the Czech Republic (4:2) stepped up to secure a place in the starting lineup for the knockout match against Italy, who have won the title in this age group five times alongside Spain.
The changes, as well as a temporary power outage at the end of the first half, didn't disrupt Germany's flawless group-stage performance, with three consecutive victories.
Dream start for the German team
Germany started strong, with good pressuring that resulted in Lukas Ullrich taking control. His composed cross found Knauff's eager feet, who put the ball in the net for his fourth goal in his 27th U21 international. Di Salvo cheered loudly, and the team continued to keep the English at bay, demonstrating excellent control and strength in challenges, similar to their performances against Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
England mounted a comeback after the break
England made substantial adjustments at halftime, with Arsenal striker Ethan Nwaneri, whose market value is estimated at 55 million euros, driving the team harder and more energetically than the first half. The English pressured Germany, becoming dangerous as the match progressed. Nevertheless, they couldn't repeat the English U19s' 5:5 draw against Germany the previous day, after trailing 1:5 at one point.
- Italy
- U21 Euros
- England
- Ansgar Knauff
- Nitra
- Slovenia
- Victorious march
- Di Salvo
- Germany
- Czech Republic
- Spain
- German Football Association
- Alex Scott
- Sat.1
- Antonio Di Salvo
The German Football Association's B-squad demonstrated its strength, replicating its victories against Slovenia and the Czech Republic, securing spots in the starting lineup for the U21 Euros quarter-final against Italy. Ansgar Knauff, playing for a rotated German squad in the group stage finale, scored a goal against England, setting the team on a victorious march to Nitra, where they emerged triumphant over England.
