Germany was tipped by many experts to be one of the best teams in the U20 World Cup and they had been able to respond to that label thus far. However, they stumbled in the quarterfinals against Mali and even though they created some decent chances, the African side managed to hold on and was far more accurate from the penalty spot as they clinch a berth in the semifinals.
Germany started putting a lot of pressure and even though they were forced to take Marc Stendera off the game due to injury, they scored the first goal of the game nearing the 40th minute. A precise pass from Jeremy Dudziak found Julian Brandt who unleashed a fierce volley straight into the left post to put the European side on top after the first half.
Hany Mukhtar had a golden chance to double Germany's lead early in the second half but he wasn't able to convert a penalty kick. The Germans would surely want that back as Mali equalized only a few minutes later. A floated cross found Souleymane Coulibaly and the central defender nodded the ball home past the keeper to equalize the game.
Both sides struggled to get things going the rest of the way but Mali improved as the game advanced. The African side was known for their potent physical strength and they wore the opposition down. Mali, in fact, was close to score the winning goal on extra time but Malick Toure's header went wide of the goal. As a result, the match had to be decided from the penalty spot.
Mali was much more effective during the penalty shootout. They converted four of their five penalties and Germany missed two, including Niklas Stark's one that would have equalized the shootout round 4-4. Stark's effort went wide to the left post and as a result, Mali clinched a berth in the U20 World Cup semifinals.
It was a thrilling encounter but Mali relied on their physical strength to advance to the next round. It remains to be seen if that'll be enough for the final rounds but they are certainly a tough team to beat.