“The goal was for them”
El Mala reports on a stroke of fate
March 31, 2026 – 8:35 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The Cologne native is the focus of the U21 national team’s victory: as a pioneer of success, but also as a grieving person.
The German U21 national team took a big step towards European Championship qualification with a 2-0 win over Greece. After the game it wasn’t just about sporting topics, because Saïd El Mala reported a stroke of fate.
“I’ve had a loss in the last few days. My grandma passed away,” said the offensive player immediately after the game on ProSieben Maxx. “I still wanted to stay here and help the boys. The goal was for them.” El Mala gave the German team the lead in the eleventh minute with a shot. Instead of celebrating the goal extensively, he first pointed his finger at the sky several times and pulled his jersey over his nose as if he wanted to wipe tears from his eyes.
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Coach Antonio Di Salvo also commented on his player’s tragedy after the game. “We received the news on Saturday morning. The players were there for him, as was our staff. Our sports psychologist in particular looked after him,” reported the national coach.
The positive influence within the team obviously helped El Mala. With his goal to make it 1-0, he put the German team on the road to victory, Anton Kade made it 2-0 in the second half. With the away win, the DFB team moved past Greece and now has qualification for the 2027 European Championship finals in their own hands. In the remaining three qualifying games, Germany will face Latvia, Malta and Georgia.
