Tuesday, September 07, 2021
Early backlog
Latvia forces U21s to work
On the way to the European Championship in two years, the U21 footballers will continue to be harmed. However, the boys around coach Kuntz have to invest significantly more after the easy 6-0 win against San Marino in the clash with Latvia.
Happy and exhausted, the German U21 footballers around goal scorer Youssoufa Moukoko received the applause of the few German fans. With dedication and passion, the selection of coach Stefan Kuntz averted an early setback in the fight for the EM ticket in the 3: 1 (2: 1) against Latvia. Led by striker Moukoko, the youngsters won their second win in their second game in Riga after an early deficit and thus achieved a maximum of six points. Only the group winner can buy the ticket for the EM 2023 in Georgia and Romania directly. Other opponents are Poland, Hungary and Israel.
Five days after the easy 6-0 win against San Marino, the young German footballers had a hard time against the robust Latvians and fell behind with a header from Ilja Korotkovs (8th minute). Then the Kuntz selection fought back and turned the game around with hits from Moukoko (25th), Angelo Stiller (41st) and Malick Thiaw (48th). “I’m satisfied with the result,” said Kuntz. “I like how the team gets together in such a short time. Now we hope that they will get a lot of match practice over the next few weeks.”
“Extremely disgusting to lie in the back”
The initial phase was marked by many duels. The early backlog did not make the task any easier for the young Germans. After a corner, the hosts used their physical superiority to make an early 1-0. “It’s extremely disgusting to be behind against a team like that,” said Stiller. The DFB-Elf tried to give a quick answer, but hardly developed a goal danger. A shot by Tom Krauss past the goal was the most dangerous approach (20th).
The defense in front of Hoffenheim’s Luca Philipp, who had just moved into goal, repeatedly had problems. Offensively, captain Jonathan Burkardt missed the very big chance to equalize when he slammed a penalty kick against the aluminum (25th). Only a few seconds later, however, his strike partner Moukoko struck: With a shot from the edge of the penalty area, he made his third U21 goal in the second game.
The DFB selection found itself better and better in the game. In particular, 16-year-old Moukoko – the youngest German U21 national player and U21 goal scorer since last week – repeatedly confronted the Latvian defense with problems. The striker could have scored his second goal in several situations. But then it was Stiller who scored a long-range shot just before the break.
After the break, Schalkes Thiaw headed after a corner. The Kuntz-Elf then managed the two-goal lead, allowed only a little defensively and secured their second victory.
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