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The German U21 football team has started their European Championship (EM) qualification campaign on a positive note, securing a 2:0 victory against Albania in their first match after the disappointing European Championship final loss against England over two months ago.

The triumphant match, held in Albania, marked the debuts for Ilyas Ansah from 1. FC Union Berlin and Dzenan Pejcinovic from VfL Wolfsburg, who both scored in the game. U21 national coach Antonio Di Salvo expressed his satisfaction with the quality of strikers in his team.

However, Di Salvo was quick to dispel any comparisons between Pejcinovic and the long-nominated U21 top scorer Youssoufa Moukoko. Similarly, DFB CEO Andreas Rettig emphasised that the new year group of the DFB juniors should not set their sights too high for the EM 2027 qualification in Albania and Serbia, and urged against putting too much pressure on the boys' shoulders during the qualification.

Nick Woltemade, a striker who recently moved from VfB Stuttgart to Newcastle United for an impressive 90 million euros, also featured in the successful test match against the co-host of the EM in two years. Before joining Newcastle United, Woltemade played for VfB Stuttgart, having moved there in summer 2024 after his contract ended with Werder Bremen; he also had a loan spell at Elversberg earlier in his career.

The DFB juniors will continue their EM 2027 qualification against Latvia in Rostock on Tuesday. This match will be the first for the team in the new year group, following their friendly match against Albania. Rettig believes that the team has the potential to step into the big footsteps of the previous team, which was the U21 vice-European champions.

In the U21 restart, Nicolo Tresoldi (FC Bruges) and Nelson Weiper (1. FSV Mainz 05) started in the match against Albania. Pejcinovic, now with 42 U-länders, does not look at who scores where and tries to take the momentum from the respective year group with him.

The EM 2027, set to be held in Albania and Serbia, promises to be an exciting tournament for the German U21 team. As they embark on their qualification journey, the team will strive to build on their successful start and continue to impress both on and off the pitch.