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Szekesfehervar (dpa) - Thanks to striker Lukas Nmecha, Germany's U21 national team saved a draw in the contested classic against the Netherlands and still has good chances of reaching the EM quarter-finals.
After the 1: 1 (0: 0) in the Hungarian Szekesfehervar, a draw is enough for the next generation of German soccer players in the final group game against Romania on Tuesday.
Against the strong Dutch offensive around RB Leipzig's Justin Kluivert, the DFB selection earned the point with a combative performance.
«I was in the right place.
It was a very important point that we got, »said goal scorer Nmecha happily.
With four points, the DFB selection now leads the group ahead of Romania (also four points) and the Netherlands (two).
Goalkeeper Finn Dahmen made a mistake on his 23rd birthday, Bundesliga professional Kluivert scored (48th minute).
Top striker Nmecha managed to equalize late (84th).
Especially after the break, the playful Jong Oranje was the better team, but the German team fought against it and rewarded themselves.
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The heated neighborhood duel was particularly explosive because Germany's Salih Özcan and Jordan Teze faced each other again after a spitting attack by the Dutchman against Cologne after a U20 international match in 2018.
Before kick-off, Kuntz assured: "The thing is forgotten."
But shortly after half-time, several players from both teams clashed after Teze fouled Özcan.
The early stages of the game were characterized even more by mutual respect than by great rivalry.
The Netherlands had more possession in the balanced opening minutes, but neither team was dangerous.
"Everyone knows that this is a derby, a great international match by name," said Kuntz before kick-off about the motivation of his players.
Kuntz had tactically changed his team with two new ones with an unfamiliar three-man chain on the defensive.
The DFB defense was initially safe.
But as the game progressed, the Dutch, who were under more pressure after the 1-1 draw against Romania, took command.
Even the injury-related replacement of Talent Noa Lang (22nd) did not upset the offensive game.
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Offensively, the Kuntz-Elf tried to build an orderly structure, but too often the last pass did not arrive.
A header from Amos Pieper after a corner was the best German chance of the first half (32nd).
The German attack struggled against the physically strong Dutch central defense around youngster Sven Botman.
In the second half, the DFB team got off to a very bad start with Dahmen's mistake, who kicked past the ball after a back pass.
The keeper from FSV Mainz 05 had received the trust of Kuntz somewhat surprisingly before the tournament.
As a result, the young German footballers tried to equalize.
Shortly before the end, Nmecha rewarded the team for catching up.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210327-99-998149 / 4
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