Germany march to create history with 1-0 win over Spain

Jakarta : Germany are two victories away from becoming the first team to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup and UEFA European U-17 Championship in the same year.

They will face Argentina in the semi-finals on Tuesday having prevailed in a tense last-eight tussle with fellow European heavyweights Spain 1-0– and with confidence growing they can make history.

When asked to pinpoint the key quality that has underpinned Germany’s incredible success in 2023, one word repeatedly crops up from both coach Christian Wuck and his players: mentality.

“The belief is here, as it was at the EUROs,” Wuck told FIFA. “Maybe we are the best team in believing. We don’t think about losing games, we think about winning. Mentally, we have been strong. Now, we are in the semis, we want to stay until December 2, play in the final, and win.”

In the Spain clash, Germany spent significant periods without the ball against a team Wuck described as “perhaps technically the best in the world”.

They dug in, however, defended with determination, poise and authority, and still carried an attacking threat through their electric forwards.

Centre-back Finn Jeltsch added: “Everyone gave everything, you could see that with how we ran and every tackle we put in. It was an incredible team performance.