The future of German football is looking good as the Under 21 Germany team beat Spain to become the champions. This is the second big tournament win for Germany in the last 4 years after the first team won the World Cup in 2014 in Brazil. This win will please the entire German football set up since it means that the future is looking good.
Germany's road to the title
It was quite an impressive start to the tournament for the German side as they won their first two games with a lot of ease. This included a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic followed by a 3-1 win over Denmark.
This saw the Germans rocket to the top of their group but following a final game loss to Italy the Germany side finished their group in second place. This put the Germans in a tricky situations but with a good goal difference which they established though their two wins, they managed to sneak through and make the knock-out stage of the competition.
Following the group stage, the German's drew old rivals England in the semi-final of the competition. This was a very tight game that ended 2-2 and led to the tension of a penalty shoot-out. The Germans managed to hold their nerve and won the shoot-out 4-2 to earn themselves a place in the final of the tournament.
The final was against the might of the Spanish that were by far the favorites to win the competition.
Spain were unbeaten until the final and it was looking unlikely that they were going to lose. With all that in mind, the Germans managed to cause an upset, as they held onto a 1 goal lead thanks to a first half header by Hertha BSC right-back Mitchell Weiser. This was the first under 21 title for the Germans since 2009 and as a result it was quite a big win for the German youth set-up.
Key Performers for Germany
As far as key performers are concerned in the attacking third, former RB Leipzig striker Davie Selke was quite exceptional with 2 goals. The young striker is full of talent and Hertha BSC have noticed that signing him early in this years summer transfer window. Selke has already made a mark on the junior scene winning the Golden Boot and Golden Player awards in the Under 19 European Championships in 2014 and it seems like he is developing into one of the best strikers in Germany.
Other than Selke, the captain Maximilian Arnold also had a great tournament. While he did not shine with goals or assists, he was a great leader on the field and showed a lot of composure to guide his team. This player has already made an appearance for the German national team and it seems likely he will be making more in the future.
