The German U21 national team gambled away the win they had hoped for at the start of the European Championship year.
Exactly 90 days before their European Championship opening game against Israel, the selection of the German Football Association did not get more than 2: 2 (1: 1) against Japan on Friday in front of 6,161 spectators in Frankfurt. Without numerous regular players, coach Antonio Di Salvo’s team struggled for a long time and showed some insecurities defensively.
Jessic Ngankam from Hertha BSC gave Germany the lead with a penalty kick (40th minute). Kein Sato (43′) and Mao Hosoya (46′) turned the game around for the visitors with a double strike before and after the break. Denis Huseinbasic from Cologne still managed to equalize (49th). Before the tournament in Georgia and Romania in June and July, the DFB-Elf have their next test in Romania on Tuesday.
Völler and Flick live
The new DFB sports director Rudi Völler said at the beginning of the week that the U21 European Championship this summer was just as important as the home European Championship in 2024 – and he followed his words with action. Together with national coach Hansi Flick, Völler followed the start of the German U21s into the European Championship season in the stadium. “That’s a great story”Di Salvo said before kick-off at ProSieben Maxx: “It’s a first for a friendly.”
The DFB celebrities in the stands saw a committed start of the German youth selection. After nine minutes, Faride Alidou from Frankfurt missed the great opportunity to give the hosts an early lead. The offensive player aimed freely in front of the empty goal after a rebound, but too centrally, which is why the Japanese were just able to clear it.
Precision forward was partially missing
Di Salvo had to give up four of his players to the national team during this international phase, and there were numerous injuries. His team lacked precision in some scenes, especially in the game going forward, while the defense around the strong goalkeeper Noah Atubolu was hardly under pressure at first. Shortly before half-time, Ngankam rewarded the German selection: After a foul on the striker, he converted the penalty himself.
“Japan is really an opponent who will challenge us“, Di Salvo predicted before the game. And the 43-year-old was right: The Asians got into the game better and didn’t let themselves be put off by the deficit. Just three minutes later, midfielder Sato was pretty much free after a corner in the penalty area and headed in to 1:1.
Only seconds after half-time, Japan even took the lead: Substitute Simon Asta unintentionally put the ball on for the opponent with his first touch of the ball. On the other side, the Fürth then prepared the 2:2 by Huseinbasic a short time later. Defensively, the German team wobbled more often, but there were also opportunities up front.