The Netherlands U19 beat its German counterpart 3-0 in the opening round of the Euros.
For both nations, it’s the first U19 European championship since 2017. Including three games in the Elite round, Germany won each of the six matches in the qualifying campaign. The Netherlands comprehensively beat the Czech Republic to return to the championship.
Germany were the better team inside the first 25 minutes, but their Dutch counterpart reached the opponent’s box more frequently. On three occasions, there were half-hearted calls for a penalty by the Netherlands.
As for Germany, Paris Brunner was the liveliest player as he played with full freedom to roam in the final third. The overlapping runs by Taylan Bulut also made Germany’s right-sided attack more dangerous.
However, the game’s first big chance came from the Netherlands. Germany’s goalkeeper Konstantin Heide impressively pushed Ayoub Oufkir’s powerful hit to the crossbar before Winners Osawe cleared the danger.
Moments later, it was the turn of Germany to hit the woodwork. Moerstedt’s incisive play sets up Brunner, whose effort nearly found the net after ricocheting off the post. The Hoffenheim striker also played Kjell Wätjen through with a fine hold-up play, but the Dortmund midfielder hardly tested Joeri Heerkens.
On the other end, Oufkir beat Heide with his second shot on target. After a little ping-pong in Germany’s box, the winger slammed home an unstoppable volley to open the scoring before the half-time break.
The last action of the first-half saw Hanno Balistch forced to make an early substitution because of Elias Decker’s injury. Only three attempts were on target from 15 shots by the two teams in the opening 45 minutes.
Germany started the second-half with more attacking intent, but the Netherlands quickly regained momentum thanks to Kees Smit’s creativity and Don-Angelo Konadu’s restless movement.
However, both players missed golden chances inside the first ten minutes of the second-half. In contrast to his quiet first-half showing, Said El Mala tried to make things happen from Germany’s left flank.
Before the hour mark, Balitsch made his first tactical switch, introducing Assan Ouédraogo in place of Wätjen. The RB Leipzig midfielder struggled with injuries throughout the season, but he has made a quick impression after coming off the bench.
Balistch, who started complaining to the fourth official early in the game, saw a yellow card after showing frustration over no penalty-kick call for a handball from Ouédraogo’s powerful hit. However, it was clear to see how the rest of the game would play out as Germany were in full force in search of an equalizing goal.
El Mala had Germany’s best chance in the 70th minute, but his curling effort was well-saved by Heerkens. Substitute Charles Herrmann also came close to providing the goods when his header narrowly missed its target. All in all, Peter van der Veen’s side successfully defended their box to reduce the danger in the final ten minutes.
And, with their rare chance on the other end, Oufkir doubled his tally with a delightful chip. The brace means the Sparta Rotterdam player has six goals for the Netherlands U19 in his last two games. But that wasn’t over. Smit scored another injury-time goal for the Dutch to replicate the three-goal victory by the Dutch over Germany in 2017.
Germany will face England in their second match of the group on Tuesday. England salvaged a draw against Norway courtesy of a late penalty-kick by Europa League winner Mikey Moore. In Group A, hosts Romania and Spain will go head-to-head on Monday after starting their campaigns with wins over Montenegro and Denmark, respectively.
Meanwhile, Spain did beat Romania in the U21 tournament with two late goals after their opponents were reduced to ten men. Three more games will be played later tonight, while Germany play the Czech Republic tomorrow with hopes of making the knockout stages.
About Author
