Schweinsteiger makes his mark

Germany 1-0 Switzerland
A debut goal from FC Bayern München midfield player Bastian Schweinsteiger gave UEFA European Under-21 Championship hosts Germany a friendly victory against Switzerland.

Flying start
With the two nations set to meet in their opening match in the finals on 28 May, this game in Bielefeld had added significance. Lukas Podolski staked his claim for a regular place this summer when he found fellow debutant Schweinsteiger who volleyed in after eleven minutes.

Wiese saves
Switzerland had found the opening exchanges hard going, but settled after 25 minutes and began to establish control. After half-time they threatened 1. FC Kaiserlautern goalkeeper Tim Wiese's goal, but the German custodian proved equal to their efforts.

Schweinsteiger happy
The 19-year-old Schweinsteiger said of his spectacular start at this level: "It is always good to score and it is even better when you are making your debut. It was an important goal because it gave us a 1-0 win."

Mixed feelings
His coach, Uli Stielike, was more reserved. "I am only happy with the way we played in the first 25 minutes, with Tim Wiese's performance and with the result," he said. "We lost our way midway through the first half and never got back into the match."