The European Championships is approaching for the U21s. From the 17th-30th June, the team fight for European glory in the Czech Republic. Until then the players will want to impress and show off their talents on the Bundesliga stage. Furthermore, DFB.de are currently previewing potential players for the tournament between now and then, by giving an overview of their club performances.
Volland: Back in the team, back on the scoresheet
After serving his yellow card suspension, Kevin Volland was back on the hunt for goals for TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday. He dribbled past Germany international Marcel Schmelzer on the right side of the box before slotting the ball into the far corner with his left foot to make it 1-0. It was the seventh goal of the season for the U21 international.
The celebrations didn’t last long as World Cup winner Mats Hummels found an headed equaliser shortly afterwards in the 35th minute. Both sides reacted with an attacking feast – especially from Kevin Volland, who added a lot of momentum to the Hoffenheim attack. Ultimately though, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, despite a strong performance from the U21 international.
Leno: Winner in private duel with Götze
U21s national goalkeeper Bernd Leno showed once again how important he is for Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the weekend. He was called upon after just six minutes, when Mario Götze sent a warning shot towards the Leverkusen goal. Then after 27 minutes Götze came out on top against Leno, only for the German international to be denied by Bayer defender Tin Jedvaj.
Early on in the second half was once again called upon in a few one-on-one situations. First, he saved from Claudio Pizarro, before denying debutant Lukas Görtler and Götze yet again. Whilst Bayern struggled to beat Leno, Leverkusen found two goals through Hakan Calhanoglu and Julian Brandt to seal their 16th win of the season.
Ter Stegen for FCB vs. FCB
U21 keeper Marc-André ter Stegen will have kept a close eye on colleague Bernd Leno at the weekend, as he will face exactly the same opponent on Wednesday in the Champions League for FC Barcelona – FC Bayern München. The U21 has been used by manager Luis Enrique in the Champions League this season, keeping five clean sheets from ten games. With solid performances against Manchester City and Paris St. Germain, he has played a key role in his team’s success.
The whole footballing world will now see the young keeper from Mönchengladbach, as his faces FC Bayern. Ahead of the semifinal showdown, none of the players are wasting time thinkgin about the Champions League title. “Players and managers are not allowed to think so far ahead, it’s still way too early for that”, explained the U21 keeper in an interview with uefa.com. “We need to take each game as it comes, in the league too. If we stay focussed we will have a good chance. We can take things from there.”