Table lead taken back
©IMAGO
After Said El Mala’s debut goal, the German U21 national team took a big step towards a direct ticket to the European Championship. The DFB team won the fight for group victory 2-0 (1-0) in Greece and is now at the top of qualifying group F. El Mala paved the way for Germany’s victory with his goal in the eleventh minute, which Augsburg’s Anton Kade made clear (73rd minute).
On the way to the 2027 European Championship finals in Albania and Serbia, coach Antonio Di Salvo’s team has everything in their own hands before the three qualifying games in September and October. In Athens, where there was not the expected cauldron in front of sparsely populated stands, the team showed a mature performance. The nine group winners and the best runner-up qualify directly. The eight remaining group runners-up will compete in playoffs to determine the final four participants in the final round.
After being 2-0 down after less than a quarter of an hour in the first leg in October, the German selection got off to a strong start this time. After a corner from captain Tom Bischof (FC Bayern), Joshua Quarshie (FC Southampton) missed with his head. But then El Mala switched gears quickest and finished with a technically fine shot from the turn. The Cologne player was visibly moved and celebrated after the first goal in the seventh game for the U21s. “My grandmother passed away. The goal was for her,” he said after the game on “ProSieben Maxx”.
“He did it wonderfully,” said DFB director Rudi Völler at ProSieben Maxx. “But we also had a bit of luck at the back.” After taking the lead, Germany, second in the European Championship, acted a little too passively. But the defense was secure against the previous leaders. Goalkeeper Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen, who was allowed to play in goal again after his strong performance in the 3-0 win against Northern Ireland due to the illness of Dennis Seimen (SC Paderborn), came into focus when the Greeks fired warning shots. The attempts of the team led by Lionel Messi team-mate Noah Allen from Inter Miami did not pose a real danger. Backhaus remained a secure source of support.
Greece increased its offensive efforts after the break when Germany had to make do without Herthan’s Linus Gechter, who had a shoulder injury. Without penetrating power. El Mala didn’t miss much on the other side to make it 2-0 (55th/61st). The Cologne native, who is being courted by Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, was an asset on the left wing in the second half.
Nicolò Tresoldi, double goalscorer in the win against the Northern Irish, was repeatedly attacked and was unable to make a decisive impact. In return, the striker’s colleagues from FC Brugge struck from standards. This time Bischof brought a free kick in front of the goal, which Augsburg Kade took a detour. In the final phase things got strange again: The Greek Charalampos Kostoulas tried to prevent a counterattack by throwing a lost shoe. But that didn’t prevent German success either.
