4-0 against Stuttgart: U17 defends Championship title

However the result did not mirror what actually happened on the pitch. Stuttgart’s talented young side made sure the Final was still completely open up to ten minutes into the second half, before a treble substitution by Head Coach Hannes Wolf and a treble hit by his boys through goals by Fritsch, Serra and Passlack within seven minutes turned the game and made sure BVB were on the right track to defend the title.

The game was played at a good technical level, however both sides showed each other too much respect right into the second half and their main focus was to prevent the opposition from scoring. But taking everything into consideration – livestream via the internet, more than 7000 spectators in the stadium and the national anthem before kick-off – of course all this was new to the young players on both sides.

BVB had more of the game in the first half and had two chances. But Stuttgart’s goalkeeper was on the spot on both occasions when he made two attempts to get the ball after a sharp cross by Jacob Bruun Larsen and after a free kick from 17 metres, when captain Felix Passlack was brought down right on the edge of the penalty area in the 27^th minute. Academy coordinator Lars Ricken saw a game “with both teams at the same level” and praised both sides.

Stuttgart was stronger after the break and BVB Head Coach Hannes Wolf reacted accordingly. He brought on three new players within one minute: Serra, Güner and Kösecik came on for Larsen, Scuderi and Sewing. Just a few seconds later and he was able to celebrate: Patrick Fritsch headed a cross from a free kick right from the corner of the six yard box in off the far post and made it 1-0 for the defending title holders (52.), who had that little bit of luck when VfB just missed an equaliser in the attack that followed.

However then Passlack neatly forced the ball into the path of Jann Serra who had just come on. He coolly took the ball on a solo run, went around the goalkeeper and made it 2-0 just two minutes after BVB had taken the lead (54.). Five minutes later the match was decided: a long ball from goalkeeper Bansen was headed on from the centre circle. Passlack came over the right wing and scored to make it 0-3 (59.).

Goal number four was nearly a double of this goal: again there was a long ball from defence, this time Serra took advantage of confusion in the Stuttgart defence, then headed the ball over the goalkeeper onto the post before he went on to put the rebound away to make it 0-4 (65.).

BVB U17: Bansen – Sewing (50. Kösecik), Fritsch, Pieper (70. Ogrzall), Beste - Schwermann, Burnic - Passlack, Pulisic, Scuderi (49. Güner) – Larsen (49. Serra)
Goals: 0:1 Fritsch (52.), 0:2 Serra (54.), 0:3 Passlack (59.), 0:4 Serra (65.)
Spectators: 7.196 in Großaspach
Boris Rupert