Germany U-21s beat Netherlands 3-1, first time in 15 years

March 26th, 2011 | by: Anne |

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Netherlands U-21s 1-3 Germany U-21s

Zeefuik (45′)

Lasogga (27′), Rudy (46′), Holtby (65′)

The youth teams are setting the stage nicely for their older (or, in some cases, just better…) brothers with some lovely victories. I managed to catch some of the U-21 match against the Netherlands yesterday, and I’m glad I did. The team took some time to find their sea legs, but a powerful header from Pierre Michel Lasogga off a gorgeous Boris Vukceivic cross put them in front in the middle of the first half. Unfortunately some comedy defending allowed the Netherlands to equalize through a close-range Genero Zeefuik strike just before halftime. But Germany came out all guns blazing and pulled ahead a minute into the second half through a glorious long-range Sebastian Rudy bullet. The Germans looked self-assured for the rest of the second half, strong in possession and controlling the game. The icing on the cake was a 65th minute goal from my personal favorite, Lewis Holtby, who had looked a bit sloppy in the first half but stepped up his game significantly in the second half. This was the first victory for the Germany U-21s over the Netherlands since 1996, a nice streak to break. Lasogga’s debut goal is also excellent news, as we all know striker is a position that could use with an infusion of talent in Germany, and Lasogga has been consistently impressing for Hertha Berlin in the 2. Bundesliga this season. If he can bring that ability to the international stage (and the Bundesliga, with Hertha likely to be promoted), we may see him with the seniors in the not-too-distant future. The U-21s will look to seal an equally solid victory over Italy on Tuesday.

Take a look at the highlights of the match here:

U 21: Highlights Niederlande vs. Deutschland

The U-17s also impressed with their second victory of the Elite Round of EURO 2011 qualifying. They won 2-0 over the Ukraine through goals from Nicolas Perry and Samed Yesil, the latter of whom has now scored 9 goals in 10 games for the U-17s. After the 2-0 victory over Turkey, this sets the German U-17s well on course to progress to the finals – only the top placed team in each group of four does so. They look to seal that progression with a victory over Switzerland on Tuesday.

Well done, kids!