U21 European Championship 2015 Results: Wednesday Scores and Thursday Schedule
Hosts Czech Republic suffered an opening-day defeat at the Under-21 European Championship, as Denmark came from a goal behind to win 2-1 in Prague.
In the day’s second match, tournament favourites Germany also recovered after losing the opening goal, drawing 1-1 with an impressive Serbia team.
Here’s a recap of the action from Wednesday’s matches and brief look ahead to what's in store for us on Thursday.
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Czech Republic 1-2 Denmark
The Danes recovered from an appalling first half performance to beat Czech Republic 2-1 in a nervy curtain-raiser.
A Czech side missing a string of key men took the lead in the 37th minute thanks to Pavel Kaderabek’s well-worked goal. But Denmark took over after the interval, levelling the scoreline on 57 minutes thanks to Jannik Vestergaard, before Pione Sisto snatched all three points five minutes from time with a scrappy winner.
After a strong start from the hosts, Kaderabek made their early impetus tell with a brilliant burst from full-back, cutting inside expertly and finishing with his left foot. Here’s a look at the first goal of the tournament, per Wes Beuvink:
"Prachtig doelpunt!! Rechtsback Kaderabek opent de score voor Tsjechië. 1-0 pic.twitter.com/TbGHWkJuDN
— Wes Beuvink (@WesBeuvink) June 17, 2015"It was a shock to see Denmark fall behind. Not only were the Czech’s depleted, but Jess Thorup’s side carried high expectations into this competition; as the referee blew for half-time, they’d failed to live up to the tag of dark horses for glory.
They did improve after the break, though. There was a little extra tempo to the Danes’ play, with Viktor Fischer and Yussuf Poulsen beginning to find more and more space. But it was Vestergaard who was on hand to add the finishing touches to a neat move, giving Denmark a deserved foothold in the match.
As noted by Seb Stafford-Bloor of uMAXit Football, the hosts had lost their way in the second period:
From this point on, there was only going to be one winner. Pierre Hojbjerg was afforded time to dictate matters in midfield, while Fischer continued to probe with a real menace out on the flanks. But to their credit, roared on by a home crowd, the Czech’s were able to resist the growing pressure for long spells.
Eventually, Denmark's inevitable second goal came. In the 85th minute, Sisto was quickest to react to a loose ball, prodding beyond Tomas Koubek in the Czech net.
Admittedly, it was a winner that was emblematic of the overall contest, as both sides failed to fall into a passing pattern. But for Denmark, beating the hosts with such a resolute second-half display certainly bodes well for a strong showing at the championship.
Germany 1-1 Serbia
Filip Djuricic gave Serbia the lead in the eighth minute with an intricate dribble and finish, but Germany were back on terms thanks to Emre Can’s brilliant goal just eight minutes later. Both sets of players seemed to feel the pace after the break, none more so than Germany's Christian Gunter, who was dismissed for simulation.
This exciting German side were expected to begin brashly in this one, but it was Serbia who seized the early initiative thanks to some wonderful work from Djuricic.
As we can see courtesy of Saints VTRN, it was some superb individual flair from the midfielder:
But it didn’t take Germany long to recover. While Serbia always posed a threat on the counter-attack, Horst Hrubesch’s side started to click into gear in midfield, pushing their opponents deeper and deeper.
It was the kind of control that allowed Can the time and space to turn on the edge of the box. The Liverpool man still had plenty to do after wriggling away from his marker, though, but he picked his spot calmly to give Germany parity.
As noted here by WhoScored.com, while Can spent much of the domestic season at centre-back, he has been a huge offensive force for the national side:
Both teams continued to play with an admirable endeavour in the latter stages of the opening period, but it was Serbia who created the better openings. They were just inches away from going in at half time in front too, as Marc-Andre ter Stegen tipped Goran Causic’s 30-yard free-kick onto the crossbar.
After that frantic opening 45 minutes, the game settled down in the second period. Neither side were able to create anything of note early on in the half, prompting both managers into making changes in an attempt to rekindle the attacking verve that was previously on display.
Germany’s chances were landed a substantial blow in the 68th minute, as Gunter picked up a second yellow card for diving. As noted by Bloor, it was a brilliant decision from the referee:
It shifted the onus onto Serbia to go and get a winner. But Germany, who sagged into a cohesive defensive system in an attempt to preserve a point, made it extremely difficult for the intricate talents of Milos Jojic and Djuricic to find any space with the clock ticking down.
In the end, both sides will have been pleased with a point, and that was evident as the game meandered to a close. It was a view reflected by both managers, as we can see here courtesy of UEFA's Tom Kell:
"Serbia coach Mladen Dodić admits 'we probably would have taken 1-1 v Germany if offered it before the game' #U21EURO pic.twitter.com/EHP945hKWR
— Tom Kell (@UEFAcomTomK) June 17, 2015"
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Thursday Outlook
| 5 p.m. | Italy U21 v Sweden U21 | BT Sport 1 & HD |
| 7.45 p.m. | England U21 v Portugal U21 | BT Sport 1 & HD |
We should be treated to some more engrossing encounters on Thursday, as some illustrious nations get their tournaments under way.
Getting the day started will be Italy, who take on an entertaining Sweden side in their first match. Gareth Southgate’s well-fancied England team also begin their pursuit toward glory, but Portugal represent a hugely difficult opponent in their opener.
