What drama! It was a match that will live long in the memory for those who saw Germany U19s beat the Netherlands 5-4 in a penalty shootout after the match had ended 3-3 after 120 minutes. It was a play-off for qualification to the 2017 U20 World Cup in South Korea, and Germany will now be there.
The team have achieved their minimum aim for the 2016 European U19 Championship in Baden-Württemberg. In an interview with DFB.de, U19 coach Guido Streichsbier has reviewed the 120 minutes of action. The 46-year-old also explains how he got his side back on course after two opening defeats and why he is proud of his team.
DFB.de: Herr Streichsbier, congratulations on finishing fifth and achieving the minimum goal. But did you have to make it so tense?
Guido Streichsbier: I also would have preferred to have won the game in 90 minutes, but the teams out on the pitch had other plans. But now I am just happy that we managed to get our nose in front at the finish line.
DFB.de: What did you make of the 120 minutes?
Streichsbier: We dominated the first half and were deservedly in front. The game ebbed and flowed in the second half and we were surprised how the Netherlands held their own. They played with two strikers and caused us problems until the end with long balls. But the equaliser came out of nothing and then we went 2-1 down with just minutes to go. Luckily Suat Serdar’s goal saved us and sent the game into extra time.
DFB.de: And that was no less dramatic...
Streichsbier: When we made it 3-2, I thought that the game was done and dusted. We were physically better than the Dutch at that point, so their equaliser was a total surprise and then it was anybody’s game in the closing minutes.
What drama! It was a match that will live long in the memory for those who saw Germany U19s beat the Netherlands 5-4 in a penalty shootout after the match had ended 3-3 after 120 minutes. It was a play-off for qualification to the 2017 U20 World Cup in South Korea, and Germany will now be there.
The team have achieved their minimum aim for the 2016 European U19 Championship in Baden-Württemberg. In an interview with DFB.de, U19 coach Guido Streichsbier has reviewed the 120 minutes of action. The 46-year-old also explains how he got his side back on course after two opening defeats and why he is proud of his team.
DFB.de: Herr Streichsbier, congratulations on finishing fifth and achieving the minimum goal. But did you have to make it so tense?
Guido Streichsbier: I also would have preferred to have won the game in 90 minutes, but the teams out on the pitch had other plans. But now I am just happy that we managed to get our nose in front at the finish line.
DFB.de: What did you make of the 120 minutes?
Streichsbier: We dominated the first half and were deservedly in front. The game ebbed and flowed in the second half and we were surprised how the Netherlands held their own. They played with two strikers and caused us problems until the end with long balls. But the equaliser came out of nothing and then we went 2-1 down with just minutes to go. Luckily Suat Serdar’s goal saved us and sent the game into extra time.
DFB.de: And that was no less dramatic...
Streichsbier: When we made it 3-2, I thought that the game was done and dusted. We were physically better than the Dutch at that point, so their equaliser was a total surprise and then it was anybody’s game in the closing minutes.
DFB.de: The Netherlands captain Abdelhak Nouri could have sealed it in the penalty shootout after Amara Condé had missed the fifth penalty.
Streichsbier: We had luck on our side there. But when we look back at the game as a whole, we were the better team over 120 minutes. In that respect, we deserved out luck.
DFB.de: Was it that little bit of luck that you were missing in the first two group games against Portugal (4-3) and particularly against Italy (1-0)?
Streichsbier: Yes. When you watch our matches this tournament, then you will see that we played well against four top teams. But something else was more important to me: I am very proud of the mentality of my team. After two opening defeats, the team were on the floor. Our dream of reaching the final on home soil was over. We suffered two narrow defeats and were particularly unlucky against Italy. To get up after that and win the next two games says a lot about the character of our players. Both this and achieving our minimum aim makes me happy in the end.
DFB.de: How did you tease this energetic performance out of your boys after such a massive disappointment?
Streichsbier: We reminded them that our aim was to qualify for the World Cup, so that was worth fighting for. We also had the obligation as hosts to keep giving our all. We showed them photos and videos of teams who had come back from great setbacks. The way they themselves came back from this makes me proud.
DFB.de: As well as defeats in the opening games, you also had to deal with some absentees in recent days.
Streichsbier: That’s true. Our first choice keeper Dominik Reimann got injured. His replacement, Moritz Nicolas, then fell ill so Markus Schubert then had to be called up for the final game. The night before the match, Fabian Reese then fell ill so another player, Emmanuel Iyoha, had to join us just hours before kick-off.
DFB.de: He then came on as a substitute and had the chance to score the winner in extra time.
Streichsbier: That would have been some story. We decided to call up Emmanuel because Maxi Mittelstädt was able to cover Jannes Horn at left back. Emmanuel then gave us a player who could keep the ball going forward. It was a difficult situation for our regular defender Lukas Boeder on the bench, but he has served the team well and supported it in every way.
DFB.de: You made use of the new rule in the play-off and made a fourth substitution in extra time. What do you think of this new rule?
Streichsbier: I think the new rule is good. The players had played three games in seven days with a squad of 18, and that uses up a lot of energy. A fresh player also brings tempo and appeal to the game.
DFB.de: You now pass this squad onto the U20s and turn your attention to the next batch of U19 players.
Streichsbier: That is the plan. I wish this group all the best and hope that they achieve their aims for the 2017 U20 World Cup in South Korea. A lot of the boys are still developing and I am certain that they will be more mature in a year and will put in a great performance in South Korea with this mentality.
