Szekesfehervar (dpa) – Torgarant Lukas Nmecha and double goal scorer Ridle Baku saved the German U21s from a false start and secured the important opening win against co-hosts Hungary.
With the hard-won and ultimately deserved 3-0 (0-0) in Szekesfehervar, the selection of Stefan Kuntz created a good starting position for the fight for the quarter-finals. “You can be very, very satisfied with today’s appearance,” said Baku at ProSieben. “It’s always nice when you start with a win, score three goals and play to zero. That’s a little exclamation point. It can carry on like this.”
The two best teams in the group of four with Romania make it into the knockout phase. On March 27, the next generation of German soccer players will face the group favorite Netherlands, who did not get past a 1-1 (1-1) win against Romania at the start.
The hitherto inconspicuous Nmecha met after a cross from Wolfsburg Baku for the important 1-0 (61st minute) against the offensively harmless Hungarians. Baku, who is the only U21 player to have experience in the senior national team, scored the other two goals himself (66th / 73rd). This rewarded the German team for a dominant appearance, even if without the missing Dortmund Youssoufa Moukoko the goal threat was missing for a long time.
“We deserved to win 3-0,” stated captain Arne Meier. On the edge of the field, Kuntz clenched his fists after the important 1-0. The coach kept pushing his team on with loud commands. Kuntz watched the game in a black hooded jacket standing in his coaching zone, his arms mostly crossed or his hands in his trouser pockets. The 58-year-old was particularly in focus in the summer after speculation about his future and the possible successor to national coach Joachim Löw.
Kuntz had adjusted his team well despite the short preparation time of only two days, the DFB-Elf started focused and dominant. The defensive around goalkeeper Finn Dahmen cleared up the few dicey situations with ease. Kuntz had decided on the 22-year-old from FSV Mainz 05 as number one just a few hours before kick-off. Above all, Dahmen proved his strengths with the ball on his feet and energetically directed his front men.
Favorite Germany put a lot of pressure on in the early stages. However, there were hardly any compelling chances to score. A shot from the strong Niklas Dorsch just missed the post (12th), the Fürth full-back David Raum also aimed just wide (25th).
The Hungarians, who were shaken by several corona cases and the injury-related cancellation of ex-Herthaner Palko Dardai before the tournament, held up well, but remained offensive but completely harmless. After a powerful initial phase, the German team also made more and more mistakes and a lack of concentration on the offensive.
And even after half-time, the DFB selection against the supposedly easiest group opponent initially had a hard time. It wasn’t until Nmecha’s header after an hour that the game decided. Subsequently, more and more rooms opened up for the DFB selection, which Baku used for two more worth seeing goals. The DFB-Elf was now absolutely superior and could have won even higher.
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