Lots of goals in friendly vs. U23s

The first team took on the Hertha U23s in a friendly on Wednesday afternoon, with Julian Schieber, Davie Selke and Vedad Ibisevic on the scoresheet for Pál Dárdai’s side in a 3-3 draw.

Pál Dárdai was generally pleased with how the internal friendly went against a selection of U23s and some U19 players on Schenckendorffplatz. “We need as much match practice as possible during the break. Both teams played well,” said the coach after Wednesday’s game. “The commitment levels were pleasing; there was real tempo in the match and everyone got stuck in,” added Dárdai.

That is of course the most important takeaway from an internal friendly, rather than the result – namely a 3-3 draw. Maxmilian Pronichev had a big chance to open the scoring for the U23s, but could only hit the outside of the post. The youth team did go on to net the first goal though, with Sinan Kurt setting up Tahsin Cakmak to break the deadlock after half an hour. However, goals from Julian Schieber and Davie Selke had the first team ahead by the half-time whistle.

Two second-half equalisers

Both coaches made changes at the break, with Covic introducing the likes of U19s player Muhammed Kiprit, while Dárdai’s new faces also included one of the U19s, Maximilian Storm, although injury unfortunately forced him off early. The head coach’s decision to include him in his first-team selection was based on the youngster’s performance in the U19s’ recent 5-1 win over Hamburg. “Storm was brought in because he played incredibly well on the weekend. Sadly, he rolled his ankle. Hopefully it’s nothing serious,” said Dárdai.

Just five minutes after the restart, Covic’s U23s managed to restore parity through Maurice Klehr. It only took Vedad Ibisevic 120 seconds to put Hertha’s first-teamers back in front, but U23s captain Kiprit was on hand to secure a 3-3 draw. “We saw some great goals. Julian Schieber really impressed as well,” said a happy Dárdai. The coach will be holding training sessions on both Thursday and Friday, before the players not on international duty enjoy a weekend off.

First-team XI: Jonathan Klinsmann (46’ Dennis Smarsch) – Julius Kade (46’ Thomas Kraft), Karim Rekik, Niklas Stark, Mitchell Weiser – Per Skjelbred, Fabian Lustenberger (46’ Maximilian Storm) – Salomon Kalou (46’ Vedad Ibisevic), Davie Selke, Alexander Esswein – Julian Schieber

Pál Dárdai was generally pleased with how the internal friendly went against a selection of U23s and some U19 players on Schenckendorffplatz. “We need as much match practice as possible during the break. Both teams played well,” said the coach after Wednesday’s game. “The commitment levels were pleasing; there was real tempo in the match and everyone got stuck in,” added Dárdai.

That is of course the most important takeaway from an internal friendly, rather than the result – namely a 3-3 draw. Maxmilian Pronichev had a big chance to open the scoring for the U23s, but could only hit the outside of the post. The youth team did go on to net the first goal though, with Sinan Kurt setting up Tahsin Cakmak to break the deadlock after half an hour. However, goals from Julian Schieber and Davie Selke had the first team ahead by the half-time whistle.

Two second-half equalisersBoth coaches made changes at the break, with Covic introducing the likes of U19s player Muhammed Kiprit, while Dárdai’s new faces also included one of the U19s, Maximilian Storm, although injury unfortunately forced him off early. The head coach’s decision to include him in his first-team selection was based on the youngster’s performance in the U19s’ recent 5-1 win over Hamburg. “Storm was brought in because he played incredibly well on the weekend. Sadly, he rolled his ankle. Hopefully it’s nothing serious,” said Dárdai.

Just five minutes after the restart, Covic’s U23s managed to restore parity through Maurice Klehr. It only took Vedad Ibisevic 120 seconds to put Hertha’s first-teamers back in front, but U23s captain Kiprit was on hand to secure a 3-3 draw. “We saw some great goals. Julian Schieber really impressed as well,” said a happy Dárdai. The coach will be holding training sessions on both Thursday and Friday, before the players not on international duty enjoy a weekend off.

First-team XI: Jonathan Klinsmann (46’ Dennis Smarsch) – Julius Kade (46’ Thomas Kraft), Karim Rekik, Niklas Stark, Mitchell Weiser – Per Skjelbred, Fabian Lustenberger (46’ Maximilian Storm) – Salomon Kalou (46’ Vedad Ibisevic), Davie Selke, Alexander Esswein – Julian Schieber