Dárdai & Ngankam make Germany U21s squad

In Márton Dárdai and Jessic Ngankam, Hertha have two players called up to the Germany U21s squad for the U21s EUROs. Antonio Di Salvo originally called up a provisional squad of 26 players, including goalkeepers, before cutting three players on 14th June.

Two preparatory friendlies during training camp

Between 10th until 18th June, Di Salvo’s team had a training camp ahead of the U21s EUROs, which take place in Georgia and Romania from 21st June until 8th July. There the title holders begin their defence with a game against Israel (22nd June), before taking on Czech Republic (25th June) and England (28th June). They played against a South Tyrol XI in Prad on 12th June (7-0) and against Switzerland on 16th June (3-1) in warm-up games. “It was a really good friendly and exactly what we wanted. Switzerland were a great side to face and they really challenged us. I’m really satisfied with the lads’ performance. We could see things we have worked on in training, particularly in our attacking play,” said coach Di Salvo after the game.

Dárdai with strong record in qualification, Ngankam made his debut in March

Hertha’s number 31 has played five times for Germany U21s so far, with three of them coming in qualification for this tournament, where him and his teammates managed to play three games without conceding a single goal. In March 2023, Ngankam made his debut, playing two friendlies against Japan and Romania, scoring one goal.

Pekarík wins with Slovakia, Lukébakio and Belgium draw

Peter Pekarík remains a stalwart for Slovakia. Our right-back is taking part in qualifiying for the 2024 EUROs in Germany. Slovakia won 2-1 in Iceland on Satruday, with Peka playing the full 90 minutes. Their next game in Group J is in Liechtenstein on Tuesday – they remain in second place behind Portugal on seven points from three games.

In Group F, Dodi Lukébakio and Belgium are in action. Domenico Tedesco’s side won their opening game 3-0 in Sweden, but only drew 1-1 at home to Austria in Brussels, leaving them in second place currently. Dodi Lukébakio started and impressed in his 69 minutes on the pitch. Their next game is in Estonia on Tuesday.