Reitz makes his first start for Germany U21s

On Friday, four Foals were in action for their respective national sides - Manu Koné and France U23s came out on top in their hard-fought friendly fixture, while Luca Netz and Rocco Reitz picked up a point from their EURO 2025 qualifier. However, Grant-Leon Ranos and Armenia fell to defeat in their friendly against Kosovo.

Armenia

Gladbach forward Grant-Leon Ranos and the Armenian national team suffered a 1-0 defeat in their friendly against Kosovo on Friday evening, which saw former Bundesliga midfielder Milot Rashica fire home the winner for the visitors in the 25th minute. Ranos came off the bench in the 58th minute, which marked the youngster’s ninth appearance for his country.

Germany U21s

Rocco Reitz made his first appearance in Germany U21s’ line-up in front of around 7,000 fans at the Stadion an der Gellertstraße in Chemnitz for the EURO 2025 qualifier against Kosovo, and started alongside his fellow Foal Luca Netz. Although the hosts were the dominant team throughout the 90 minutes, they were unable to find the net and the game ended goalless. “We overcomplicated things and didn’t create enough clear-cut chances,” admitted Reitz after the game. Germany are currently sat in second place in qualifying Group D with 13 points to their name, just two fewer than Poland, who have played an extra game.

France U23s

Manu Koné made an appearance in France U23s’ starting XI for their friendly clash against Côte d'Ivoire, which ended in a 3-2 victory for the hosts. Désiré Doué opened the scoring for France, but the visitors responded by finding the net twice through Abdoulaye Traoré und Mohamed Bamba. However, Wilson Odobert came to the rescue for France by firing in an equaliser in the 72nd minute, after which Doué stepped up to strike home a winner in the closing stages. 
 

Photo: Imago Images/Steinbrenner