The German U-21 national team is holding its own in the European Championship qualifiers. In the 3:2 win in Bulgaria, goal-scorer Youssoufa Moukoko was particularly reliable.
This rate is more than respectable: Youssoufa Moukoko scored three times on Friday evening and the 18-year-old attacker now has eleven goals after nine U-21 internationals. The Dortmund striker was his usual modest self after the 3-2 win in Bulgaria on “ProSieben Maxx”: “I think I get the balls I need. In the end, the striker has to score the goals, I did that today.”
The German team trailed for 15 minutes in the first period before Moukoko scored the all-important equaliser in the 40th minute. He chased the ball into the short corner with his right foot. “The keeper probably didn’t expect me to be able to shoot with my right foot,” the left-footer speculated. He has not lost his self-confidence despite his current lack of playing time in Dortmund (he was not in the squad three times recently): “When I’m in the penalty area, I know where the goal is, so I don’t have to look at the keeper.
For his second goal of the evening – a co-production with club colleague Karim Adeyemi – Bulgaria’s keeper Plamen Andreev had a huge hand. The 18-year-old let a supposedly harmless shot slip through his braces. “I’ve never scored a goal like that before,” Moukoko admitted: “I didn’t even see the ball go in. I only heard the boys shouting – I was a bit confused then too. “
“If the boys still want to go out … “
Around 20 minutes before the end, the quick attacker made his treble (right-footed, left-footed, header) perfect with a header. Ex-Dortmund Ansgar Knauff had assisted this time. “The U21s are doing me a lot of good right now,” said Moukoko: “You can also see that I’m in the right place. In the end, it’s also about trust, the coach trusts me and I pay that back.”
So it didn’t matter that DFB keeper Noah Atubolu had to make a second save in injury time. With the second win and a “nice feeling”, the DFB Juniors could now fly home, said Moukoko. When asked in conclusion whether he would throw a round for his colleagues after his treble, Moukoko announced: “If the boys still want to go out, I’m in and will pay everything.”
Afterwards, he will want to attack again in Dortmund. BVB already has a home match against Werder Bremen waiting for them on Friday evening.
