DFB juniors reach World Cup final after semi-final thriller
The German U17 national team has reached the final of the World Cup! The DFB team turns the semi-final against Argentina around after trailing at half-time. Just when it seemed certain that they would reach the final, they suffered a late blow. But then the German team strikes back once again.
From bad boy to World Cup hero: Paris Brunner shot the German U17 footballers into the final of the World Cup in Indonesia in dramatic fashion. The Dortmund player converted the last kick in the 4:2 penalty shoot-out against Argentina, having already scored a brace in regulation time. After a spectacular 90 minutes, the score was 3:3 (1:2).
The second match winner was goalkeeper Konstantin Heide, who had stepped in between the posts at short notice for Max Schmitt, who was ill, and saved twice in the penalty shoot-out. Their opponents in the final on Saturday (13:00 CET/Sky) will be either the European Championship runners-up France or Mali.
Even the regular time in Surakarta resembled a thriller: after goals from Brunner (9th/58th) and Max Moerstedt from Hoffenheim (69th), the German team led 3-2 for a long time before Agustin Ruberto forced an immediate decision from the spot with his eighth goal of the tournament in the seventh minute of stoppage time. The young star had already given Argentina the half-time lead (36./45.+4).
Brunner becomes a hero
The 17-year-old Brunner had already provided the decisive goal in the quarter-final against Spain (1-0). He had made negative headlines before the tournament with a suspension "for disciplinary reasons" at BVB. Wück nominated him anyway, and the dribbling attacker repaid the trust.
In temperatures of over 30 degrees, the game almost got off to a cold shower right at the start: after just ten seconds, Claudio Echeverri appeared free in front of goalkeeper Konstantin Heide, who had stepped in between the posts at short notice for Max Schmitt, who was ill. However, Echeverri, who had already been hailed as the "new Messi", could only hit the outside of the net.
Only one junior title for the DFB
The DFB team recovered briefly - and struck coldly. Brunner strolled through the penalty area and finished with a left-footed shot from an acute angle - with the kind assistance of goalkeeper Jeremias Florentin. The 10,000 spectators were now treated to some great entertainment. The equalizer was increasingly in the air: goalkeeper Heide made a spectacular save in his first U17 international match since September 2022 (22'), but was then powerless against Ruberto twice.
However, the DFB team showed morale and equalized after the break with Brunner's fourth goal of the tournament. Shortly afterwards, Moerstedt even headed in to take the lead, but the spectacular finish was yet to come.
The U17s are only the fourth German U-team to reach a World Cup final: the U20s lost in 1987, as did the U16s two years earlier. The only junior title to date was won by the U20s in 1981 with players such as Rüdiger Vollborn, Michael Zorc, Ralf Loose and Roland Wohlfarth. Their opponents in Saturday's final will be either France or Mali.
Source: www.ntv.de
