DFB.de: You have two similar opponents coming up in Serbia and Slovakia. What is it that you can and want to do better?
Amenyido: We need to be bolder and quicker going forward to cause trouble for our opponents, either through one-twos or long balls up top so that we can create chances. If we just pass it sideways, then the other teams can set up very defensively and will make it difficult for us again.
DFB.de: Things are also going well at your club Borussia Dortmund. You now sit in second place in the A-Youth Bundesliga after 21 matches, certainly somewhat thanks to your ten goals and three assists.
Amenyido: Absolutely. We have a great team and we all get on really well but we have a hard fight ahead of us for the title with Schalke, Leverkusen and Bochum.
DFB.de: BVB is renowned for his excellent work with young players. With your Germany U19 teammate Felix Passlack, the injured Burnic and Christian Pulisic, three players from the 1998 year group have regularly featured in the first-team squad for the Bundesliga. Have you had much contact with the first team?
Amenyido: It’s been limited so far. I was in the squad for a few friendlies but making the jump to the first team is definitely my goal. You can see how quickly it happens sometimes when you consistently put in good performances.
Dfb.de: Now it could be finally be your turn after such a long time.
Amenyido: Exactly. Injuries have continuously set me back in the last few years but I have been fit since the beginning of the season. That is also something that is important for me because this is a crucial period in my career.
The word ‘matchwinner’ was coined for moments like these. When Germany U19 and Borussia Dortmund player Etienne Amenyido clinched the winner in the U19 side’s first game of European Championships qualification, making it 2-1 in the 93rd minute, all those in the stadium were witness to the unfolding of a game that ended up being far more exciting than many had expected.
The result, although hard-fought, has put the U19s on a good path ahead of their next game, which will be against Serbia at 11:00 CET on Saturday, and the team will naturally be hoping for a better showing. After his brace, Amenyido spoke to DFB.de about the game and his hopes for the summer.
DFB.de: Mr. Amenyido, congratulations on both goals against Cyprus. Can you describe that moment in the third minute of added time?
Etienne Amenyido: It was really unbelievable. We had set the tempo for the whole game and we believed that we would still create chances at that stage of the game. In those deciding moments, Aymen [Barkok] did great work in the area, and his chip went straight off the post and into my path. There was no great art to it, but because Aymen made that lob, I was able to take advantage and the whole team benefitted.
DFB.de: When the ball went in the damn really broke for the team.
Amenyido: Definitely. We did not want to start off the qualification campaign with a draw, and it would not have been the correct result given the run of the game, even though Cyprus played very well. The relief could be felt right through the stadium. We all knew that it was the final minute of added time – the referee had told us as much.
DFB.de: Why did you have such a difficult time of it against Cyprus?
Amenyido: We actually started off the game pretty well with the early goal to make it 1-0, but unfortunately we did not hold onto the lead long. Cyprus shifted to five at the back with four midfielders ahead after equalising, so the midfield was very clustered and it was very tough to find space in behind the defence. And the longer it stayed 1-1, the more nervous we became. We are just glad to have won the game. We will take the momentum from it with us.
DFB.de: You have two similar opponents coming up in Serbia and Slovakia. What is it that you can and want to do better?
Amenyido: We need to be bolder and quicker going forward to cause trouble for our opponents, either through one-twos or long balls up top so that we can create chances. If we just pass it sideways, then the other teams can set up very defensively and will make it difficult for us again.
DFB.de: Things are also going well at your club Borussia Dortmund. You now sit in second place in the A-Youth Bundesliga after 21 matches, certainly somewhat thanks to your ten goals and three assists.
Amenyido: Absolutely. We have a great team and we all get on really well but we have a hard fight ahead of us for the title with Schalke, Leverkusen and Bochum.
DFB.de: BVB is renowned for his excellent work with young players. With your Germany U19 teammate Felix Passlack, the injured Burnic and Christian Pulisic, three players from the 1998 year group have regularly featured in the first-team squad for the Bundesliga. Have you had much contact with the first team?
Amenyido: It’s been limited so far. I was in the squad for a few friendlies but making the jump to the first team is definitely my goal. You can see how quickly it happens sometimes when you consistently put in good performances.
Dfb.de: Now it could be finally be your turn after such a long time.
Amenyido: Exactly. Injuries have continuously set me back in the last few years but I have been fit since the beginning of the season. That is also something that is important for me because this is a crucial period in my career.
DFB.de: Is your history with injuries the reason why you really wanted to leave school with good qualifications and prepare for your A levels here at the same time?
Amenyido: For me, school is just as important as football. Obviously my injuries have played a part in that but on the other hand I want to establish myself as a regular in the team. You never know what can happen. If it doesn’t work out for me in football then I want to be at the same level academically as the other students in my year and make sure I keep all my options open.
DFB.de: So this summer could be a crucial one for you. First you are taking your final exams at school and then hopefully you will be at the U19 European Championships in Georgia.
Amenyido: That would of course be the perfect outcome. (laughs)
