Weiper’s first goal at U21 level helps Germany clinch top spot

Despite a draw having been enough for head coach Antonio Di Salvo’s Germany U21 national team to hold onto first place in European Championship Group B, his side showed great ambition on Wednesday evening as they saw off England 2-1 in Slovakia to finish the competition’s preliminary stage with a maximum haul of nine points.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ansgar Knauff got the ball rolling after just three minutes before exactly half an hour later, Mainz’s own Nelson Weiper struck, scoring his nation’s second with a header from six metres following a Knauff cross, which in turn marked his first goal for the U21s (33’). Although the contest was sparked into life once again as Bournemouth’s Alex Scott halved the deficit in the closing stages, Germany ultimately held on for a third convincing victory of the tournament.

The performance was particularly remarkable for the fact that Germany’s entire starting line-up had been rotated, proving those usually in reserve can do the job just as well. Paul Nebel came on as a substitute in the 77th minute, while a number of other regulars were rested for the duration of proceedings, including former 05er Brajan Gruda and EUROs top scorer Nick Woltemade. That energy conserved will no doubt come in handy when Germany’s U21s clash with Italy at the quarter-final stage on Sunday evening (21:00 CEST).