German U17s reach World Cup quarter-finals after beating USA
The German U17 national team is through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a late joker goal from Bilal Yalcinkaya. Coach Christian Wück's side won a thrilling round of 16 match against the USA 3:2 (2:1) in Bandung, Indonesia, and will now face Spain on Friday.
Charles Herrmann (14th minute) and Max Moerstedt (34th) scored the first goals for the European champions in the hard-fought victory against the US boys. In the Jalak Harupat Stadium, Taha Habroune (24) and David Vazquez (80) equalized. As the penalty shoot-out approached, HSV player Yalcinkaya became the match-winner immediately after coming on as a substitute (87').
"We were really just defending. The three goals came from our individual quality, and that's what we rely on and can use to score highlights," said Wück. "In tournaments, you sometimes have a game where you leave the pitch as the lucky winner."
Perfect start for Wück's team
The DFB team got off to a perfect start in front of 5,782 spectators in the sweltering "City of Flowers". Dortmund's Herrmann converted a free-kick from around 20 meters to take the lead. A misplaced pass from Bayern keeper Max Schmitt, who was a reliable back-up in the final phase, led to the equalizer against a defence that had not yet regrouped. After Herrmann's assist, Hoffenheim's top scorer Moerstedt was on hand at the other end to score his third goal of the tournament and make it 2-1.
However, the American team led by 15-year-old shooting star Nimfasha Berchimas struck back again. With a free-kick from the right wing, David Vazquez outwitted the entire German team, in which Noah Darvich (FC Barcelona) and Fayssal Harchaoui (1. FC Köln), who had been suffering from a cold, had to leave the field early. Moerstedt was then replaced by Hamburg's Yalcinkaya, who scored seconds later with an individual effort from an acute angle. After that, it was a nail-biter right up to the final whistle.
"It was an intense game, we've never had one like it here before. In the end, our mentality and our class decided the game. Now it's time to recover and then on to the quarter-finals," said Pauli player Eric da Silva Moreira. The German team is aiming to win its first World Cup title in this age group in Asia.
Source: www.dpa.com
