Germany started brightly and paved the way for their semi-final triumph inside the opening quarter of an hour, thanks in no small part to VfB’s Nick Woltemade. The 23-year-old set up Nelson Weiper to fire in the first goal after eight minutes, and scored himself just six minutes later. Brighton & Hove Albion’s Brajan Gruda put the seal on the victory in stoppage time to make it 3-0.
Fina showdown against England
The win means Germany will face defending champions England in the title-decider, the Young Lions having beaten the Netherlands 2-1 earlier on Wednesday evening. The teams have already gone head-to-head at the tournament, with Germany earning a 2-1 win in the group stage. The final will take place on Saturday 28 June in Bratislava (kick-off 21:00 CEST).
Woltemade continues scoring streak
Woltemade’s goal against France extended his astonishing scoring run for Germany’s U21s. The forward has scored at least once in each of his last 10 appearances for the side, and he is the leading marksman at the tournament with six goals and three assists. He and his team now need to give their all one last time to lift the trophy.
“We’ve got such an amazing squad,” said Woltemade after the final whistle. “I’ve known a lot of the guys for seven or eight years. It’s nice that our time in the youth national teams is coming to an end this way. For a lot of us, this final is one of the biggest games we’ll have played in. It’s very special for all of us and we’re really looking forward to it.”
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Picture: Imago