German U21 start convincingly against Latvia with Brunner's brace

The German U21 national team began its Euro qualification adventure with a clear 4-0 win in Riga, while Paris Brunner of AS Monaco immediately caused a stir with a brace. Coach Antonio Di Salvo praised the performance of his young side, which now sits level on points with Greece at the top of qualifying Group F.

Early start and early goals

Brunner opened the match in the first minute after a cross from Lukas Ullrich and scored again in the 42nd minute, putting the score at 2-0. The one‑minute strike was his first goal in his U21 debut, which he described on Saturday evening on the Sat.1 microphone as a “little star”.

After the early brace, the German side remained dominant. In the 52nd minute Nicò Tresoldi added a Lupfer to make it 3-0, followed by Arijon Ibrahimović, who contributed the fourth goal in the 76th minute to the final score.

Coach and player comments

Di Salvo explained before the match that, despite the absence of regulars such as Said El Mala, Lennart Karl and Brajan Gruda, he was relying on the young talents Noah Darvich and Brunner. He emphasized that Brunner had “a very good run” and was “very dangerous in front of goal”.

Brunner, who had previously been suspended for a controversial gesture at Racing Strasbourg, explained that the gesture had no connection to fans and was a misstep that now lay behind him. Di Salvo confirmed that Brunner has been presenting himself as “absolutely top” since then.

Captain Tom Bischof, who moves into Jürgen Klopps’ second A‑team squad after the match, was substituted after 58 minutes, but remains part of the “second squad” for the A national team.

The German U21 still have matches on 30 September 2026 in Malta and on 6 October 2026 in Bielefeld against Georgia ahead, to secure the top of the group.