In its canon of values, the German Knigge Society does not reveal anything about how to react appropriately to a 0: 1 deficit towards the end of a football game. You don’t learn anything there about elegant power management in a strenuous extension. And nothing at all can be learned from this institution, which is dedicated to humanism and friendly interaction, about the adequate reaction to penalty cannonades by Danish young national players.
The German U21 footballers, who had great fun listening to the humorous lecture of a representative of the aforementioned Knigge Society during their preparation for the European Championship, still did everything right in the quarter-finals against Denmark, in their 6-5 win on penalties concerns the football aspects of good behavior. They equalized a 0: 1 two minutes before the end of regular time, they thwarted Danish big chances in extra time and celebrated the excellent etiquette of their goalkeeper Finn Dahmen on penalties, the two of the seven penalties of the Danes friendly but determined the admission refused to go into the goal.
After 90 minutes it was 1: 1, after 120 minutes 2: 2, after that 14 penalties were necessary to celebrate the DFB-Elf’s advance into the semi-finals against the Netherlands (Thursday, 9 p.m., Pro Sieben) 16 minutes before midnight. It was a frenzy of passion and a festival of virtues, but the fact that a German U21 made it into the EM semifinals for the fourth time in a row had a very mundane reason, according to national coach Stefan Kuntz: “The boys just didn’t want to go home. “
Instead of having to fly home after only three days in Hungary, the young German footballers were allowed to sleep in in their beautiful Vital Hotel in Gardony on Tuesday and have an extensive brunch until noon. The almost three-hour quarter-final event following a strenuous Corona season got them so badly damaged that they were no longer able to dance to the beloved bass-heavy music in the dressing room. Stefan Kuntz revealed this at the witching hour in a virtual press conference in which he praised his squad for its “very special passion”.
After the goal against the 0: 1 (69th) his players were close to the end until the striker Lukas Nmecha, who played for RSC Anderlecht, scored the redeeming 1-1 in the 88th minute. This goal was prepared with a header from a corner by the FC Bayern player Lars Lukas Mai, who was loaned to Darmstadt 98 and who had been nominated a few days earlier and was only substituted on in the 87th minute. Football is not a sport of procrastination, and Mai’s spontaneous willingness to help was of such effectiveness and elegance that it would have brought tears of joy to the eyes of the “Lady of Knigge”, as Stefan Kuntz called her.
Dahmen saves two penalties
Jonathan Burkardt from Mainz, who was also substituted as a joker, seemed to have shot his team into the semifinals with his remarkable 2: 1 (100th) when the Danes rebelled again and equalized with a penalty to 2: 2 (108th). Mai had done the foul before. That was annoying, but also impressively revealed how the German players kept showing up at both ends of the field.
In the end, Mainz goalkeeper Dahmen joined the heroes. He saved two penalties in the exact same goal in which he had made a mistake in the group game against the Netherlands two months ago, which had cost his team the victory. Now Dahmen was able to rehabilitate himself in the second act of this EM, which was divided in time due to Corona. He is now paid another game against the Netherlands in the same stadium in Szekesfehervar. The quarter-finals, in which one game was decided in stoppage time, two only in extra time – and the German only on penalties, showed how close it is overall at this European Championship. Germany against the Netherlands and Spain against Portugal are now the semi-finals on Thursday, with the final in Ljubljana, Slovenia on Sunday.
Niklas Dorsch returns
Extraordinary midfielder Niklas Dorsch from the Belgian club KAA Gent is allowed to participate again in the German team on Thursday. He was suspended against Denmark, but had motivated his teammates to win by offering them an attractive reward. In order not to have traveled to Hungary idly, he had promised them a crate of mineral water when they reached the semi-finals. Such virtuous and well-being friendliness should actually bring him the title of “Man of the Year” at the Knigge Society.
– .
