With a dream goal from Said El Mala, the German U21 national team set course for the European Championships. The young star of 1. FC Köln scored his first goal for the DFB team in a 2-0 (1-0) win in Greece, which took the lead in the table and now has its sights set on winning the group. The DFB team lost the first leg 2:3.
El Mala (11th) and Anton Kade from FC Augsburg (73rd) scored for the German team, which goes into the last three matches level on points with pursuers Greece. Because the DFB team won the direct comparison, victories against Latvia, Malta and Georgia are certainly enough to take part in the European Championships in Serbia and Albania.
DFB coach Antonio Di Salvo spoke of “pressure on the ball” before kick-off. At least: The expected cauldron didn’t happen – the 4,000 fans created a great atmosphere, but many seats remained empty. The early lead by El Mala further silenced the spectators. The 19-year-old reacted quickly after a corner and hit the far corner from the turn.
DFB juniors on track early thanks to a “wonderful shot”.
“It was a wonderful shot with his beautiful technique. He did it wonderfully,” said DFB sports director Rudi Völler, who traveled to Athens, on “ProSieben MAXX”. For El Mala, who had recently also hoped for a nomination from Julian Nagelsmann, it was the first goal in the seventh U21 game, and the celebration was correspondingly emotional: the 19-year-old dried his wet eyes with the jersey.
The Greeks responded with furious attacks on the deficit, and Werder Bremen’s regular goalkeeper Mio Backhaus had to make several saves. It went back and forth until the break: Nicoló Tresoldi, who recently scored a double against Northern Ireland, missed the 2-0 (32nd). The Greeks countered with physical play, but it usually ended in the penalty area. The only but harmless means were shots from a distance.
After the break, Greece increased the pressure, but the German defense held tight. On the other side, El Mala had a second goal twice after counterattacks (55th/61st). The important 2-0, which decided the direct comparison in Germany’s favor, was scored by Kade with his head. It was also his first goal in the U21 uniform.
