Woltemade stars as German U21s full comeback win over Poland

Antonio di Salvo’s Germany U21 aspect have maintained their excellent document within the qualifying marketing campaign for the 2025 UEFA U21 European Championship after topping Poland 3-1 on the Stadion an der Hafenstraße in Essen. The children representing Germany on the highest youth degree battled again from a 0-1 half-time deficit to win their fifth consecutive match since this summer season’s disappointing displaying within the 2023 U21 event.

Head-coach di Salvo made only one change to the aspect that delivered a convincing victory over Estonia on Friday. Holstein Kiel’s Colin Kleine-Beckel changed Fortuna Düsseldorf’s Jamil Siebert in central protection. The group maintained its 4-1-4-1 form from the earlier qualifying encounter. The German opponents on the day had been captained by VfL Wolfsburg winger Jakub Kaminski and lined up in a 3-4-3.

Some sloppiness and nerviness was obvious in each side throughout the opening quarter-of-an-hour in Essen. The German hosts generated a good double probability by means of Brajan Gruda and Ansgar Knauff within the 14th. Aside from that, there wasn’t a lot of be aware happening. A promising solo run from Youssoufa Moukoko within the nineteenth went nowhere when the Dortmund skilled could not discover a colleague.

Poland themselves weren’t harmful in any respect till a pair of corners within the twenty third and twenty fourth. Sadly for di Salvo’s aspect, Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu’s good save on the preliminary set-piece counted for nothing. Polish defender Ariel Mosor completed off the second nook for the 1-0 lead. Gruda was the German marker culpable for shedding his man.

The Germans appeared visibly dazed after conceding the opening aim and weren’t actually capable of get again within the recreation over the course of the first-half’s length. As a substitute, a sequence of errors on the again really almost led to the friends doubling their benefit on three separate events. Di Salvo reacted to the ineffectiveness of his group by freshening up the assault.

SV Werder Bremen’s Nick Woltemade changed TSG 1899 Hoffenheim striker Maximilian Beier on the break. Whereas the German assault continued to sputter, di Salvo’s defenders actually appeared extra alert, snuffing out Polish prices and counters. The equalizer got here off a set-piece within the 56th. DFB skipper Eric Martel pounced on a the rebound of a free-kick Moukoko despatched into the wall for the 1-1.

Simply as he did on Friday, di Salvo turned to Borussia Mönchengladbach rising expertise Rocco Reitz off the bench shortly after the hour mark. The scorer of a brace towards Estonia made a direct influence, testing the Polish keeper with a pointy effort within the 66th seconds after his introduction. Spurned on by this, the DFB-XI had been very lively within the seek for a winner down the stretch.

The two-1 lastly got here within the 79th. Merlin Röhl did a wonderful job unlocking defender Nathaniel Brown simply outdoors the realm. Brown handed to a wide-open Woltemade contained in the field. The Bremen striker fired house an emphatic end. Three minutes after that, it was Röhl’s flip to attain. Woltemade returned the favor by making a powerful run, drawing protection, and crossing over to Röhl for the 3-1 within the 82nd.

The scoreline held and the German youths are actually degree with Poland atop their qualifying group on 12 factors. The DFB squad – courtesy of the truth that a match towards the Israeli U21s over the earlier worldwide break – have a recreation at hand. The consequence additionally ensures a plus-one goal-differential lead over their rivals.

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