Cologne's youngster: European Championship semi-final against France after victory over Italy!

Cologne's youngster: European Championship semi-final against France after victory over Italy!

An exciting adventure is underway for the German U21 national team! Last weekend, the DFB team successfully ended a hot duel against Italy in the quarter-finals of the U21 European Championship and secured their ticket to the semi-finals thanks to a 3-2 win after extra time. Cologne's Eric Martel played a key role in the success as captain, while his colleague Jan Thielmann made an important contribution to the team, even if he wasn't used that often.

Now it's time to concentrate fully on the upcoming semi-final against France on Wednesday evening. Germany has proven that it has established itself as a serious competitor on the European stage. The dramatic win against Italy was marked by emotions: after the Italians took an early lead in the 59th minute, the German boys hit back. Nick Woltemade equalized in the 69th minute, and the yellow-red cards given to Italians Wilfried Gnonto and Mattia Zanotti shouldn't go unmentioned. Ultimately, it was Merlin Röhl who scored the decisive goal in the 117th minute that catapulted the DFB team into the semi-finals, reports come-on-fc.com.

A look at Cologne's talents

Eric Martel, the captain, shone with consistently strong performances in the tournament and urgently used every minute on the pitch. Jan Thielmann, on the other hand, is fighting for more playing time after a solid performance in the last group game against England. However, time is running out for the two Cologne talents: their contracts at 1. FC Köln only run until 2026. The coming weeks could show how their performances in the European Championship will affect their future at the club, as contract negotiations will only begin after the tournament. The FC has already announced that it wants to avoid free transfers next year and plans to extend the contracts or transform them into a suitable transfer fee in the event of a sale.

• Eric Martel: Kapitän der U21, spielt durchgängig stark
• Jan Thielmann: Zeigte gute Ansätze, ist jedoch um mehr Einsatzzeit bemüht
• Verträge laufen bis 2026
• Interesse von SC Freiburg (Martel) und RB Leipzig (Thielmann)

The European Championship began on June 11, 2025 in Slovakia and runs until June 28, 2025. Germany plays in Group B and qualified from the group phase without a defeat. Winning the title would not only bring valuable experience to the team, but could also significantly improve 1. FC Köln's negotiating position for its talents, as fc.de shows in its analyses. It will be exciting to see how the competition develops and what options could emerge for Martel and Thielmann.

If the two players continue to put in their best efforts, things could get exciting. Who knows? Perhaps the team will soon bring home a new title and thus strengthen Cologne's youth work in the eyes of larger clubs. Let's hope that the next game against France on Wednesday is just as successful!