- 11.11.11
- First Team
Petsos and Fortounis Score Against Trapp
The German Under-21 squad maintained its 100% record in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 1 as Peniel Mlapa completed his hat-trick against ten-man Greece in added time to earn the German Under-21 national team a 5-4 victory in an absolutely tantalizing game.
Thanos Petsos
Thanos Petsos lobbed his 1. FC Kaiserslautern team-mate Kevin Trapp on 22 minutes to put Greece in front, but Mlapa pulled one back six minutes later. Trapp made a brilliant double save to deny his FCK team-mate Fortounis and Charis Mavrias. Mlapa then hit the post before being set up for a second by Lewis Holtby in first-half added time. However, there was time for Fortounis to make it 2-2 before the break.
Olivier Baumann came on for Trapp at the break and pulled out stunning reactions to deny Fortounis and Apostolos Giannou before Alexander Esswein converted Maximilian Beister's delicate pass in the 56th minute to make it 3-2. Petsos leveled the score after great work from his FCK team-mate Fortounis, but Stefan Bell restored Germany's advantage with a header three minutes from time.
Greece looked to have snatched a share of the points when substitute Panagiotis Vlachodimos struck from close range three minutes into added time, shortly after Konstantinos Fortounis had been shown a straight red card.
However, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim striker Mlapa had the last word, firing Germany back in front with his right foot to take Germany nine points clear of second-placed Greece, which still has a game in hand.
Germany and Greece are in midweek action, Greece welcoming Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, November 14 and Germany visiting Cyprus on Tuesday, November 15, 2011.
