Young German heroes hailed

Germany coach Paul Schomann, sporting director Matthias Sammer and national team manager Oliver Bierhoff united in praise of their side after they secured qualification for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals in style.

Impressive run
A 3-0 win against the Republic of Ireland yesterday in front of a sell-out 7,500 crowd in Nordhorn sealed first place in Elite round Group 1, Greece and Scotland having already been dispatched 4-1. Indeed, it was the best overall record in the U17 second qualifying stage since it was introduced in 2002/03. They now go on to the finals from 2-13 May in Belgium, with the draw a week tomorrow in Brussels.

Coach happy
"The Irish made it difficult for us today," Schomann said, after his charges won with a second-half Sascha Bigalke penalty and two late goals from substitute Marvin Knoll. "I have to compliment our team, even though we were not as strong in attack as we had been in the other two games. My team took up the fight the Irish offered and deservedly claimed their place in the finals."

'Great success'
German Football Association sporting director and EURO '96™ winner Sammer attended the game and was delighted with the team: "Qualifying for the finals is a great success for coach Paul Schomann and his team. With their dominant way of playing they absolutely deserved to go through to Belgium, they were rock-solid in defence and attack."

Bierhoff praise
Sammer's old team-mate Bierhoff added: "Everyone from the senior national team wishes to congratulate Paul Schomann and his team for reaching the finals. We have kept an eye on the results and have followed the team passionately. For individual player development, playing in a European Championship is very important, not least due to the fact you can qualify for the [FIFA U-17] World Cup there. After the outstanding performances in the Elite round, the minimum goal has to be to qualify for the World Cup."