Germany has won the U-21 European Championship with a 1-0 victory over Spain, the country’s second U-21 Euro title and first since 2009.
Making the win even more impressive is the depth which the squad has needed to overcome the loss of at least six first-choice players who were selected by senior team manager Joachim Low to take part in the 2017 Confederations Cup. A whopping 11 players from the senior squad currently in Russia would have been eligible to take part in this competition.
The exquisite winning goal came off a cross from the right touchline where Jeremy Toljan worked space past a pair of defenders to send the ball in. It came to 23-year-old Mitchell Weiser who slipped in front of Jesus Vallejo at the near post and tipped the ball high into the air. Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizablaga could do nothing but watch as the ball looped up, over his head, and tucked into the top-left corner.
The defensive partnership of Freiburg’s Marc-Oliver Kempf and Hertha’s Niklas Stark held firm for the rest of the match, and Spain had nothing going forward despite 60% possession, managing just a single shot on target on 12 attempts at net. The best chance for Spain came on
Germany’s depth of talent at the moment is incredibly impressive, and this tournament victory just furthers the proof that Germany will be a nation to fear on all levels of soccer competition for the foreseeable future.
