Germany and Serbia settle for a draw
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
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Germany 1-1 Serbia
Emre Can cancelled out Filip Djuričić's early strike before Christian Günter's red card left both teams content enough to open with a draw.
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• Germany and Serbia draw 1-1 at the Letná Stadium in Prague
• Filip Djuričić opens scoring for Serbia with fine finish after just eight minutes
• Emre Can draws Horst Hrubesch's team level not long later
• Christian Günter sent off midway through second half
• Next matches: Serbia v Czech Republic, Germany v Denmark (Saturday)
Germany and Serbia shared the spoils in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group A encounter in Prague.
Germany may have started with five senior internationals to Serbia's two, but Djuričić (22) had five times more caps than anyone else on the field – and how that class showed on eight minutes. First, the nutmeg – Robin Knoche the unfortunate victim – then a finish so cool that even UEFA Champions League-winning keeper Marc-André ter Stegen dived the wrong way.
Can showed no shortage of composure himself for the equaliser, turning Darko Brašanac inside out before side-footing past Marko Dmitrović from the edge of the penalty area. Knoche was again shown up just before the half-hour, Miloš Jojić outsprinting and outmuscling him only to flash his shot just wide. Goran Čaušić went closer still just prior to the interval, crashing a long-range shot against the crossbar via Ter Stegen's fingertips – a save worthy of a European champion.
The Barcelona man was required again on 56 minutes, though this time Jojić's effort was tame enough to gather. Philipp Hofmann's header at the other end – captain Kevin Volland with the cross – was equally lacking in menace. Were both teams happy to stick, or would one be prepared to twist?
Germany's mind was made up for them after 69 minutes, Günter's second yellow card and subsequent red forcing Hrubesch to retreat. Counterpart Mladen Dodić, whose team were no doubt buoyed on by having watched their countrymen reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in New Zealand earlier in the day, had promised at Tuesday's pre-match press conference not to play for a goalless draw. He appeared content enough with 1-1, however.