Stand: 10:05 a.m.
Madness, unbelievable! U-21 stars are completely flabbergasted
The German U21s are in the semi-finals of the European Championship after beating Denmark on penalties. The youngsters around Finn Dahmen, Jonathan Burkardt, Lukas Nmecha and Amos Pieper are overjoyed after the game.
The German U21s are in a European Championship semi-finals for the fourth time in a row. In the penalty shootout against Denmark, Stefan Kuntz’s team showed enormous nerves. And apparently makes use of a nifty psycho trick.
DGerman teams in penalty shoot-out. This is usually a successful combination. The Germans also showed their skills against Denmark in the quarter-finals of the U21 European Championship. Stefan Kuntz’s team converted six penalties and made it into the round of the top four.
But apparently Germany’s goalkeeper Finn Dahmen made use of a psychological trick in the duel against the Scandinavians. As the “Bild” reports, Klaus Thomforde had stuck a piece of paper in his neck, which Dahmen provocatively fished out before the last two shots.
But instead of the preferences of the opposing shooters, the piece of paper is said to have recipes that goalkeeping coach Thomforde happened to have in his pocket. The trick definitely worked, as Dahmen saved a total of two Danish penalties.
Like Pollersbeck and Lehmann
At the 2017 European Championship, Germany’s goalkeeper Julian Pollersbeck confused England on penalties in the semi-finals with a supposed cheat sheet that he pulled out of the neck before every shot – like Jens Lehmann at the 2006 World Cup against Argentina. At that time, there were no shooting tips on the Pollersbeck slip of paper, it was just the setup sheet.
Finn Dahmen saves the shot of the Danish Victor Bernth Kristansen
Source: AFP / FERENC ISZA
Goalkeeper Dahmen will not have cared in the end. The FSV Mainz professional has already had an unusual U21 trip. In March he made a bad mistake in the European Championship preliminary round at 1-1 against the Netherlands, indebted for the 0-1 – his team-mate Jonathan Burkardt saved him the 1-1 with his goal.
A good 60 days later Burkardt missed the first penalty against Denmark – and this time Dahmen became a hero and secured the fourth semi-final in a row for a German U21 with two penalty kicks. “I said at the time that everyone is there for the other, and today it was my turn,” said the 23-year-old at ProSieben.
Kuntz falls to his knees
After the missed penalty by Burkardt, the U21 footballers remained ice cold: They converted the six other attempts confidently. “The players themselves said who shoots,” reported Kuntz, but commented on the decision from the point: “It’s not fun as a coach. It’s interesting, let’s put it that way. “
Germany’s coach Stefan Kuntz
Quelle: Getty Images/Laszlo Balogh
After the final whistle, Kuntz clapped his hands over his head as if he couldn’t believe what had happened in the 120 minutes plus penalty shoot-out before he slumped to his knees. “At some point, the feelings want to get out again,” said the coach, who had seen a “high-class U21 game”: “That’s what a fan enjoys: When he sees the boys tear their asses off and on End of giving her last shirt to win. “
.
