U21 national team
Reitz celebrates strong debut for U21
Germany’s goalscorer Youssoufa Moukoko celebrates his goal to make it 2-0. photo
© Friso Gentsch/dpa
The German U21s are happy about a 4-1 win against Estonia. Moukoko is on duty as a goalscorer, debutant Reitz scores twice. The DFB president dislikes a decision.
A reparation
“We’ve all done one thing too many,” said Reitz after the win at ProSiebenMaxx. Sometimes you have to look for a goal more quickly, “we still have to work on that.” Coach Di Salvo was overall satisfied despite the numerous wasted opportunities (“we just have to score”). You let the ball and your opponents run well. “What annoys me is the one goal we conceded,” he said and revealed that Reitz apologized for it after the game: “He said: ‘Sorry for that one mistake’ – but he made up for it twice over. “
With nine points from three games, the German Football Association team stays ahead of the Poles, who have twelve more points in one game. On Tuesday (6 p.m./ProSiebenMaxx) in Essen, the German youth national team wants to catch up with Poland and take an important step towards winning the group.
Reitz with a late double
In front of 5,493 spectators in Paderborn, Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier took the deserved lead at halftime (39th minute) after a long unsuccessful attempt. After the break, Dortmund’s Moukoko increased the score to 2-0 (53′), before the underdogs reduced it to 1-2 out of nowhere through Danil Kuraksin (64′). Di Salvo had to wait a long time at his birthplace until Gladbach’s Reitz scored 3-1 (88th) and 4-1 (90th+4). He made a mistake when scoring the next goal shortly after coming on as a substitute.
“You could say I got it right twice,” said Reitz (“I’m very, very happy”) about his goals. “I’m happy for Rocco and hope he makes three next time,” said Moukoko with a smile. The BVB striker, who has scored twelve times in ten U21 international matches, is playing a key role in ensuring that the German team stays on course for the 2025 European Championship finals in Slovakia. She would definitely be there as group winner.
Adeyemi stayed at BVB
In contrast to Moukoko, his Dortmund club colleague Karim Adeyemi passed up the U21 opportunity and preferred club training to the national team. He wants to recommend himself for more working time there. “It’s a sign from him how important he takes this,” said DFB President Bernd Neuendorf during the half-time break at ProSiebenMaxx. “This may also be a wasted opportunity, I regret that.” Neuendorf pointed out that the U21 has always been a stepping stone. The coaches would decide on the consequences.
“We discussed it briefly and were informed,” said Reitz on the Adeyemi issue. This didn’t affect the team that much, “we have a great team here,” said the Gladbacher. “I think it’s his decision and we all respect it.”