After two defeats, the German U19 national team has missed out on qualifying for the European Championship. The Turkish U19 players from the Ruhr region, on the other hand, have every reason to celebrate.

The German U19 national team has missed out on qualifying for the European Championship for the fifth (!) time in a row. On Saturday, the team of national coach Christian Wörns lost 3:2 to Romania.

The decisive goal was scored in the 93rd minute for the Romanians. As Germany also lost the first match against Croatia 1-2, there is no longer any chance of qualifying for the European Championship in Northern Ireland.

The proud soccer nation of Germany had already missed out on the final round of the best eight teams in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The tournaments were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Turkish U19 players from the region, on the other hand, have every reason to celebrate. After two wins against Romania (2:0) and Croatia (2:1), qualification is now out of their reach. Turkey currently lead Group F with six points. Inanoglu and Co. could even afford a defeat against Germany and would no longer be displaced from one of the top two places, which automatically entitle them to participate.

Three district players in Turkey – Gedikli still waiting

Several players from the Turkish national team are playing for teams from the region. Berkant Gedikli from Rot Weiss Essen was nominated, but has not yet been able to play due to his lack of a Turkish passport. Batuhan Yavuz and Kaan Inanoglu play for MSV Duisburg, while Ayman Emran Gulasi plays for Norbert Elgert’s FC Schalke 04 U19s. While Yavuz and Inanoglu started against Romania, the Schalke player was substituted in the 72nd minute of the 2-0 win against Romania and scored the important 1-0 in the 81st minute. Both players were also substituted in the second game.

On his return to Germany, Gulasi will have to console his team-mates Vitalie Becker and Max Grüger, who missed out with the DFB squad, as well as Mohammad Mahmoud and Jean-Philippe Njike Nana from VfL Bochum and Rafael Lubach from BVB. S04 goalkeeper Luca Podlech had to withdraw from the European Championship qualifiers due to injury