Coach Stefan Kuntz made two changes to the side that beat Romania 4-2 in the semi-finals. Florian Neuhaus was replaced by Suat Serdar in holding midfield and the former Leverkusen defender Benni Henrichs returned to the left back slot after a one-match ban. Maximilian Mittelstädt dropped down to the bench.
Germany appeared to show great respect at the start to Spain who lost 1-0 in the 2017 final thanks to a goal from Mitchell Weiser. Germany were much too passive allowing Spain to control proceedings by dominating possession. And the team coached by Luis de la Fuente made full use of their first chance on goal. Fabian burst through the centre of the German defence and fired in a shot from 25 yards for the opener.
The Kuntz eleven were more adventurous after the set-back but there were no clear-cut chances before the break. Goalkeeper Antonio Sivera was only tested once. However, a deflected shot from the former Werkself pro Levin Öztunali was no problem for Spain's number one.
The second half continued in the same vein with Germany on the front foot from the start. Nadiem Amiri had a good chance to level after good work in the build-up from Henrichs but the keeper Sivera was on his toes. And the second goal for Spain came on 69 minutes – Alexander Nübel was unable to hold on to a long-range effort from Fabian and Dani Olmo was left with a simple tap-in. Fabian missed on 75 minutes and Soler hit the bar (81') in the search for the third goal.
As Luca Waldschmidt failed to convert chances in the box on 74 and 83 minutes, the goal scored by Amiri to make it 2-1 on 88 minutes was a mere consolation when he beat the Spain keeper with a deflected shot from distance. The match ended for the team led by the skipper Jonathan Tah, who went the full distance, as the U21 Euros runners-up. Reaching the semi-finals in the tournament does mean Germany qualify for the 2020 Olympics football tournament in Tokyo.
Jonathan Tah was very disappointed after the game: "We were unsettled after conceding the early goal. The second half was better. And we gave our all right to the end. We can take a lot of positives from the tournament."
The Werkself entertain FC Salzburg on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League at the BayArena today at 21:00 CET. The Matchday News has all the info on the home match.
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The Werkself entertain FC Salzburg on Tuesday, 26 November (kick-off: 21.00 CET, BayArena and live on DAZN) on UCL Matchday 5. At the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Austrian side, head coach Xabi Alonso and full-back Arthur warned about a young team with a clear approach to the game.
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FC Salzburg are having an indifferent season in the Austrian league at the moment. The club, who have won the title ten times in the last eleven years, are currently just sixth in the table. Nevertheless, the Salzburg team feel they may have turned a corner after the convincing win away to Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League. Now they are looking to spring a surprise at the BayArena on Tuesday, 26 November (kick-off: 21.00 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, Bayer 04 again joins in with the Orange Your City campaign. On Monday, 25 November, the BayArena will be lit up in orange between 17.00 and 22.00 CET. It is traditional on this day to have other significant buildings in Leverkusen lit up in orange.
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Daily changing special offers from the world of Bayer 04: The annual Black and Red week begins on Thursday, 28 November. You can look forward to unique offers and discount on fan merchandise up to and including Saturday, 30 November.
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