Luca Waldschmidt, Germany Eliminate Serbia with 6-1 Win in U-21 Euros

Germany continued their winning start to the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championships on Thursday, eliminating Serbia with a 6-1 win and establishing a three-point lead at the top of Group B.

Luca Waldschmidt netted a hat-trick at the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste, Italy, and became the tournament's outright top scorer with four goals, while Marco Richter, Mahmoud Dahoud and substitute Arne Maier also chipped in.

Captain Andrija Zivkovic scored Serbia's only goal from the penalty spot after Lazar Randelovic was tripped inside the area late on.

New Real Madrid signing Luka Jovic was held at bay, and Serbia are still searching for their first point of the tournament and can no longer progress any further in the competition.

Matchday 2 showed marked improvement from an already impressive-looking Germany, and the titleholders look to have discovered their swagger after a somewhat apprehensive opening display.

The attacking movements were slicker and more composed with the cobwebs seemingly shaken off against the Danes, and it took coach Stefan Kuntz's side only 16 minutes to make the incision this time around.

Levin Oztunali failed to contribute directly in front of goal during Germany's opening 3-1 win against Denmark, but the Mainz midfielder made up for it with a supreme assist for Richter's breakthrough.

In fairness to the finisher, Richter's movement to peel away from his marker was superb—as was the chipped finish over Serbia goalkeeper Boris Radunovic—but Oztunali showed sensational vision to split the defence:

The majority of the first half was one-way traffic running firmly against Serbia, whose hopes of advancing effectively ended before the break when their foes struck twice more in the space of seven minutes.

Waldschmidt was primely placed to convert thanks to Richter, the same team-mate who assisted his first goal of the tournament against Denmark.

Augsburg ace Richter had a sight at goal from the left, but sportswriter Alex Chaffer praised the youngster for choosing the least selfish option:

The third was all of Waldschmidt's own making and saw the Freiburg forward set off on a mazy run from halfway, opening a lane of space before exhibiting searing pace with the ball to get away.

His strike across into the bottom right corner showcased an increasingly evident finishing touch and pushed Waldschmidt into rare scoring territory:

Serbia reassessed at the break and enjoyed an improved second period in the sense that they began to apply some pressure on Alexander Nubel's goal, though the same team remained in firm control.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Dahoud was the next Germany player to get on the scoresheet and saw his slightly deflected effort fly in from outside the area.

Substitute Maier's strike was more certain, however, and he illustrated Germany's unforgiving streak when he lasered his shot into the top-right corner in injury time.

The German centre-back duo of Jonathan Tah and Timo Baumgartl stood up to the challenge of whatever Serbia had to throw and were mostly unnerved at the back.

Germany were luxurious at their best and showed disdain for small mistakes at times, displaying the kind of form one might expect of a team seeking back-to-back crowns.

Spain were the last team to successfully defend the under-21 European title in 2011 and '13, and the early signs suggest Germany could be capable of mimicking that feat.

What's Next?

The Group B schedule comes to a close on Sunday when Germany will face Austria and Serbia take on Denmark.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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