The German U21 team took an important step towards the European Championships in 2019 in Italy. Thanks to the 6-0 win against Ireland in the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin, Stefan Kuntz’s side sit at the top of Group 5 in the European qualifiers, with two games to go and a five-point lead. Aaron Seydel scored once, while Suat Serdar grabbed a brace and Cedric Teuchert impressed with a hat-trick to give Germany the win.
Stefan Kuntz was very pleased with his players, “Today I witnessed an excellent performance from the entire team for the full 90 minutes. The boys have developed a great team spirit in the last few days and you could see that today on the pitch. The defensive organisation was top class and that made it easy for us to switch the play. Florian Neuhaus did very well, using his speed to earn us two penalties.” The target for the upcoming games is clear for Kuntz, “We want to win our game at home in October and solidify our place in the European Championship.”
Leading after six minutes
Hat-trick-scorer, Cedric Teuchert, agreed with his coach, “We defended well together and didn’t allow the opposition any chances; this was a deserved win. I’m really happy that I could help the team with three goals today.” Suat Serdar, who scored a brace, added, “We prepared for a tough game and Ireland gave us no room on the pitch. We took our chances well. I gave the second penalty to Cedric because I knew that he wanted his hat-trick. After the third goal the result was in no doubt. The togetherness of this team really sets us apart."
The win in Ireland didn’t take long to get up and running. Benjamin Henrichs set up Seydel in the sixth minute, where the Holstein-Kiel striker made no mistake, striking the ball hard into the far corner and giving Ireland keeper Kieran O’Hara no chance. The German side then kept up the pressure as Eduard Löwen forced an excellent save from O’Hara in the 12th minute, while Seydel’s effort soon after fizzed past the post.
Teuchert continues to grow
The second goal came in the 22nd minute of the match. Jack Mulraney brought down captain Lukas Klostermann in the box, allowing Cedric Teuchert to tuck it home from 12 yards. The Irish then became more invested in the game, becoming ever more aggressive in their play. After the break, the German side were still deadly in front of goal. The visitors controlled the game and it wasn’t too long until Ireland lost the ball, meaning Teuchert was able to find the net and make it 3-0 (66’).
Two penalties in the closing minutes
In the 73rd minute, Liam Kinsella brought down Maximilian Eggstein for the second penalty of the game, which Teuchert happily converted to earn his hat-trick. The FC Schalke striker has now scored seven goals for the U21s in as many games. Marco “Joker” Richter was then fouled by Mulraney in the six-yard-box, giving the side yet another penalty. Substitute Suat Serdar calmly converted from the spot to make it 5-0 (83’), scoring his first goal for the U21s. The midfielder then didn’t have to wait much longer for his second, as he found the net again just three minutes later (86’), thereby settling the match at 6-0.
