When reporting on the German U17s at the World Cup, the focus is usually on the goal scorers. The most important man before the semi-final against Argentina plays in central defense.
When the German U17 national team reached the long-awaited final whistle at the World Cup in Jakarta last Friday (November 24th, 2023) and secured a 1-0 win in the quarter-finals against Spain, Christian Wück knew exactly who he had to thank first : The coach of the German juniors went straight to Finn Jeltsch and gave his defense chief a tight hug.
Semifinals on Tuesday morning
You don’t get to see as much of the Junior World Championships in faraway Indonesia, where the games usually take place in the mornings, German time, and then in enormous heat and humidity. What is known: The German team, which celebrated the European Championship title in early summer, is really working its way through the tournament and will be in the semi-finals against Argentina on Tuesday morning (9.30 a.m. CET in the live ticker on sportschau.de).
The goalscorers are also usually transmitted – in the quarter-finals Dortmund’s Paris Brunner, who scored the winning goal against the Iberians. The fact that the German selection is still in the running at the tournament is only partly due to the callousness in the finale. Above all, it is the outstanding defensive performance that has carried the Wück team so far so far.
Strong defensive performance against dominant opponents
The opponent was dominant both in the round of 16 against the USA (3:2) and then against Spain. If you’re honest, it was even better. The trainer also saw it like this: “We were also lucky against Spain, who are certainly the strongest team here in terms of play. Today’s game was a defensive performance, as one always imagined from previous German teams. Before against the USA, it was above all a fighting performance , in which resistance was repeatedly overcome.”
The most noticeable player in the strong back line in all games was undoubtedly Finn Jeltsch. The 17-year-old from 1. FC Nürnberg has shown outstanding positional play so far. With his exceptionally strong anticipation of dangerous actions, he has become probably the best tackler in the tournament. And his header game is simply outstanding. It was no coincidence that he was named “Man of the Match” by the organizers after the Spain game.
Finn Jeltsch – probably the best tournament tackler
Jeltsch celebrated after reaching the semi-finals: “Our match plan was to let Spain play. We go on the defensive and postpone. I think we did a good job. In the end, the duels at the back were decisive.”
What else can come now? The German team will certainly be put on the defensive a lot against Argentina. The South Americans got going after the surprising opening defeat against Senegal (1:3), and the following four games were won by at least two goals.
In addition, the “Gauchos” have not conceded a goal in three games. Their coach was once part of a back four and was no stranger to Germany either: Diego Placente played as a left-back for Bayer Leverkusen between 2001 and 2004.
Argentina is particularly strong offensively
The performances of the Argentines were particularly impressive in the knockout phase against Venezuela (5-0) and defending champions Brazil (3-0). Captain Claudio Echeverri, who is nicknamed “El Diablito” (the little devil) and is already part of the professional squad at River Plate, scored a hat-trick against the Brazilians. Together with teammate Agustin Ruberto, he leads the tournament’s top scorers list with five goals each.
Signed professional contract in Nuremberg
But the international scouts will not only focus their eyes on the Argentine offensive talents. They will also take a close look at Jeltsch again. Already in the summer, when the secondary school student moved up from the U17 of 1. FC Nürnberg to the U19, a number of Bundesliga clubs were interested in the 1.85 meter tall defensive man, who usually plays in the six position at the club and often shines there as a goalscorer.
Despite all the offers, Jeltsch signed his first professional contract in Nuremberg and is by far the youngest player to train regularly with the second division professionals. When he signed his contract in June he said: “I’ve been playing at 1. FC Nürnberg for more than eight years. This is something very special for me. Everything happened incredibly quickly recently. But I know that things won’t automatically continue at this pace.”
Tournament final on Saturday
Things will continue for him and his national team colleagues on Tuesday at the World Cup in hot Indonesia. If Argentina is also beaten, the boys will stay a few days longer. The final is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. German time.