U21 with "fear" for first qualifying defeat in four years

The frustration over the first defeat in European Championship qualifying for four years ran deep for the U21 national team - and was a stark warning on the road to the European Championship finals. "We can't allow ourselves any more mistakes or slip-ups, that's clear," warned coach Antonio Di Salvo after the 2:3 (0:2) defeat against Greece. For the first time since November 2021, when they suffered a painful 4-0 defeat to Poland, the German Football Association's most important youth team lost a qualifying match again.

In third place with no chance of qualifying

"We were afraid to play forward," complained Bayern professional Tom Bischof, who was allowed to wear the captain's armband as a debutant. After two out of ten matchdays, the German team are only third in the table with three points behind Greece (6 points) and their next opponents Northern Ireland (4). Together with the senior national team, which won 4-0 against Luxembourg, the U21s now travel to the island, where the pressure is high.

As runners-up in the European Championship, Germany would have no chance of qualifying for the 2027 finals in Serbia and Albania in the summer. The nine group winners and the best group runners-up are guaranteed a place. The eight remaining group runners-up will contest play-offs to determine the last four finalists.

"I don't give a shit if it's a final"

"I don't look at the table," said Nelson Weiper from Mainz ahead of the game on Tuesday (18."We just want to win every game, and it doesn't matter whether it's a final or not."

The German team got off to a disastrous start against Greece, trailing 2-0 after a quarter of an hour. When they conceded the second goal, just 13 seconds after the kick-off after going 1-0 down, Paderborn goalkeeper Dennis Seimen had a blackout when he misplaced the ball. The 19-year-old said he would "deal with it" for the time being. "But then we'll move on. Then I'll give everything on the pitch again to do better on Tuesday."

Goalscorer demands reaction

The goals from Hoffenheim's Muhammed Damar (54th minute) and Union Berlin's Tom Rothe (59th) helped to make it 2-2, but were not enough due to the late goal conceded. "As Germany, as U21s, we have to win against opponents like this, we have to play dominantly and we have to change that and definitely show a reaction," said Rothe.

This is also what Di Salvo, who did not want to talk about a final match for the game in Northern Ireland, is calling for. "After two games, it's definitely too early. We've now lost the game and we know we can't afford to make these mistakes again," said the coach. "We have everything in our own hands and have a good team. Now we have to learn from our mistakes."

The captain showed the way. "Maybe it's also good that we have a bit of pressure so that we're there right from the start because we know we have to win," said Bischof.