Direct duel on Tuesday
©IMAGO
After a brace from Nicolò Tresoldi, the German U21 national team still has the European Championship ticket in their own hands. The selection of the German Football Association celebrated a perfect start to the year with a 3-0 (2-0) win against Northern Ireland. After the mandatory win against the British, coach Antonio Di Salvo’s team faces the final for group victory on Tuesday (6 p.m./ProSieben Maxx) in Greece. The Greeks won 5-0 against Malta and remain top of the group.
With a win in Athens against the league leaders, the German youth national team would take top spot in the qualifying group. There were no doubts about success against Northern Ireland in front of 10,391 spectators in Braunschweig. Tresoldi steered the game in the direction Di Salvo had hoped for with his two goals (11th minute, penalty kick/41st minute). “I’m happy that I did two things,” said Tresoldi at ProSieben Maxx. Mainz joker Nelson Weiper scored the final point to make it 3-0 (90th).
The Northern Irish, who were very deep, invited the German team to score their first goal. A back pass from Shea Kearney fell short. Tresoldi grabbed the ball and went down as he rounded goalkeeper Fraser Barnsley. With the subsequent penalty, the keeper suspected the corner, but the FC Brugge striker’s ball was too placed. At 2-0, Tresoldi was the beneficiary after heading a high ball. Not far from his long-time football home of Hanover, the 21-year-old scored big goals eleven and twelve in his 23rd international match for the U21s.
After the break, Augsburg substitute Mert Kömür, who was an invigorating factor in the German offensive game, hit the crossbar (49th). Northern Ireland didn’t give up and could have reduced the score to 1:2. After last year’s 2-3 defeat against the Greeks, the German selection is under great pressure in the European Championship qualification. In addition to the two hosts, the nine group winners and the best runner-up in the group will qualify for next year’s finals in Albania and Serbia. The eight remaining group runners-up will compete in play-offs to determine the final four participants in the final round.
