German Football Dominance Was on Display This Weekend
Nietzsche woulda been proud.
Die Übermenschen have made themselves known.
On the pitch, at least.
Dudes didn't need to show up on the horizon in a galactic embryo, either.
But they may as well have.
On Fri 30 May, the German U21s had managed to make their level's European Championship final in Krakow. Impressively, they did it with seven of their top players in Russia with the national team.
In a testament to their depth, die Jungs took on the favored likes of such Spanish up-&-comers as Saúl Ñíguez and Marco Asensio, neutralized them, traded close calls, and rode to glory on the back of Mitchell Weiser's header:
The exuberance of youth. Never a dull moment.
And yet, those hectic scenes were virtually docile when compared to the fireworks today in St Petersburg.
FIFA's Confederations Cup is supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the following year's World Cup, and frankly, no one would be surprised if this championship final set the stage for a rematch in 2018's big event.
This one had a bit of everything, including human fireworks at the end. The vivid memories, though, will be these after a 21st-minute blunder gifted Die Mannschaft the title:
- What was Marcelo Díaz thinking? and
- What's Lars Stindl getting Timo Werner for Christmas?
Yes, there was a touch of rope-a-dope at work, but in the end, Joachim Löw's decision to rest veterans like Mehmit Özil, Mats Hummel, Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng, and Marco Reus paid dividends.
He's now got even more troops who've been steeled in the international crucible.
The 2014 World Cup champions and now, surely, the 2018 favorites have ascended.