The German U19 national team has not been rewarded for its race to catch up in the European Championship qualification. The selection of coach Guido Streichsbier lost 2: 3 (0: 2) against Italy.
After being 2-0 down at the break, the German team fought back in Bremen through goals from Hoffenheim’s Muhammed Damar (53rd minute) with a cheeky free kick and from Bayern player Yusuf Kabadayi (59th) after a nice combination. But AS Roma player Niccolo Pisilli, who had already made it 1-0 after 18 minutes, put the guests back in front (67′).
Germany pushed for an equaliser, but were not consistent enough in the final despite good chances and eleven corner kicks. Davide Mastrantonio (AS Roma) in goal for the Italians was also a safe support during the German final offensive.
Heavy damper
In the fight for the EM ticket, the defeat at the start means a serious setback. In the mini-tournament with Belgium on Saturday and Slovenia on Tuesday as other opponents, Germany must come first in order to make it clear that it will participate in the European Championship for the first time since 2017. The finals of will take place in Malta from July 3rd to 16th.
“Of course we’re disappointed with the first half because we didn’t live up to our potential,” said Streichsbier. “In the second half, the team showed what they can do. The lads have top character, but again we defended too indecisively. There were still enough chances at the end to put the game on par.” (dpa)