The first UEFA Youth League match in VfB history took place on Pitch 11 at the Real Madrid Campus. The hosts seized control from the outset and created chances at regular intervals, with Daniel Yanez breaking the deadlock in the 32nd minute. VfB battled well against a strong Spanish side but went into the half-time break a goal behind.
The game was evenly balanced in the second half, with goalmouth chances few and far between. VfB could have equalised through Antonijo Janjic in the closing stages but his long-range drive was well saved by the home goalkeeper (86’). As such VfB slipped to a narrow defeat, even if it was probably deserved on the balance of play given the number of opportunities Real Madrid created overall.
Reaction: “Obviously we’re disappointed after losing a game like that 1-0,” said coach Nico Willig about his team’s performance. “We knew they were a very strong team. They made us cover a huge amount of ground, and we were too insecure and hectic when in possession ourselves. That meant we weren’t able to create enough chances and had to chase after the game too much.”
U19 line-up:
Hellstern – Janjic, Agzikara (68′ Scott), Catovic (78′ Knezevic), Spalt – Penna, Korkut, Di Benedetto (68′ Lüers) – Raimund (68′ Tsigkas), Bujupi, Azevedo (56′ Hajdini).