There was one change to the starting eleven from the 3-1 victory over Denmark in the first group match. Arne Maier (Hertha Berlin) made way for Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Mönchengladbach). That left Jonathan Tah and the two former Leverkusen players Benjamin Henrichs and Levin Öztunali in the starting line-up.
Germany dominated proceedings from the start at the Nereo Rocco Stadium. After the Augsburg players Marco Richter (8') and Neuhaus (10') missed the target, Germany were 1-0 up after 16 minutes. Öztunali won the ball in the opposition half and put Richter through. The FCA pro chipped the ball into the net to open the scoring.
Richter was the provider 14 minutes later. The ball came via Neuhaus and Richter to Luca Waldschmidt who converted from close range to make it 2-0 on the half-hour mark. The team led by captain Jonathan Tah, who had the Serbian star Luka Jovic well covered, did not rest on their lead but instead scored a third goal on 37 minutes. Henrichs put Waldschmidt through, he shook off his opponent and beat the Serbia keeper Boris Radunovic for a second time on the night. Öztunali had the last shot of the first half with a strike against the bar on 42 minutes.
Nadiem Amiri came on for Öztunali at the start of the second half but that did not affect the superiority of the Germany team. Amiri twice went close (52' and 63') but it was Mo Dahoud who did better on 69 minutes: His clipped shot from distance flew into the net to make it 4-0. Waldschmidt completed his hat-trick with a strike from the edge of the box to make it 5-0 (80').
Serbia did manage to score a consolation goal. The captain Zivkovic converted a penalty after Dahoud brought down Randjelovic to make the score at 5-1 on 85 minutes. Substitute Meier rounded off the scoring with a curler in added time for the final score of 6-1.
The Germany U21s extended their lead at the top of the table with their second win in their second group match. In the final game against Austria on Sunday (23 June, from 21.00 CET, live on ARD), the holders only need a draw to go through to the semi-finals of the European Championships as the group winners.
Bayer 04 have signed left-back Carolin Simon from champions Bayern Munich for the coming season. The 33-year-old former Germany international, who played for Leverkusen from 2013 to 2016, has signed a contract to 30 June 2028.
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Bayer 04 Women have strengthened for the coming season with the signing of Lobke Loone. The 23-year-old Dutch striker joins from Utrecht on a contract until 30 June 2028.
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The Werkself returned from the near one-month break in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga with a convincing victory at home. Roberto Pätzold's side beat SC Freiburg 4-1 on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Katharina Piljic, Estrella Merino Gonzalez, Cornelia Kramer and Carlotta Wamser ensuring a 13th win of the season at the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion. The Black and Reds, who are now on 40 points, move up to fourth place at least overnight.
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The fifth consecutive derby win over 1. FC Köln was a hugely significant one in terms of the battle for the UEFA Champions League places. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, speaking for the whole team, dedicated the 2-1 victory in the cathedral city to the travelling support: "I'm especially happy about this victory for our fans!" Get the rest of the reaction from those involved and the media, as well as some impressive stats on two-goal hero Patrik Schick and a look at the all-time Bundesliga table, in the Werkself Review.
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