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Ljubljana (dpa) – Stefan Kuntz is proud of the development of his U21s even before the final showdown.
“If they show that again, then I can’t be stopped emotionally from praise for these guys,” said the German U21 national coach before the European Championship final against Portugal on Sunday (9:00 pm / ProSieben) in Ljubljana. In his third European Championship final in a row, the coach and his U21 footballers are optimistic – and with the clear title goal in mind. “Of course I’m ambitious and want to win every game,” said Kuntz.
For leading player Ridle Baku, too, the final has a “certain explosiveness”. “You have the opportunity to win something. That’s what you play football for,” he said. “I will give everything to leave the field as a winner.” From Kuntz’s point of view, the German junior team won even before the final. “I can’t hide the fact that I’m proud that we made it to the final and that we exceeded expectations,” said the 1996 European champion.
The facts about the European Championship final:
OPPONENT: Former left-back Rui Jorge has been coaching Portugal’s U21s since 2010. “We’ve beaten teams like England, Spain and Italy – this generation is on an excellent path,” said the coach. Vitinha in particular shone as a star player at the EM. The professional from FC Porto last appeared on loan for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Portugal could become the second team to win every game in a U21 European Championship since the group stage tournament format was introduced in 2000. Only Spain achieved this in 2013.
BALANCE SHEET: Germany lost the last five U21 internationals against Portugal, and no other team have lost more defeats since the turn of the millennium. The 0: 5 against Portugal in the semifinals of the EM 2015 was the biggest defeat in the history of the German U21s.
PERSONAL: “Everyone is fit,” announced Kuntz on the evening before the final. He left open any possible changes in his starting line-up compared to the 2-1 victory in the semifinals against the Netherlands. Kuntz and his team want to tackle the “task of defeating a very strong opponent” with maximum focus. Kuntz is especially happy about the last “special stage” for his U21 boys.
GRADUATION: Kuntz can still remember the first games with the current U21 almost two years ago. “Of course you are always pessimistic at the beginning and you think what should I do with it,” he reported with a smile. “But it turned out to be something.” Either way, there should be a joint conclusion for the team on Sunday evening after the final in the team hotel with the families and friends who have traveled. “It would of course be a nice thing if you could win the final and celebrate with the family,” said Baku.
OLYMPIC ENJOYMENT: Regardless of the outcome of the final, the appearance of the U21s raised hopes for Olympic gold. Then Kuntz can fall back on a larger group of players and also older players. The 58-year-old wants to start planning the squad right after the European Championships. “We’ll get in touch relatively early so that it doesn’t become a short-term solution and you don’t know who you’re flying to Tokyo with,” announced Kuntz. After three finals in a row with the U21, the successful coach is also trusted with the Olympic team precious metal. In 2016 there was silver after a final defeat against Brazil with Neymar.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210605-99-876967 / 3
Source: DPA
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