Castello Jr. and France beaten in semi-finals of U21 EUROs

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·26 juin 2025

Castello Jr. and France beaten in semi-finals of U21 EUROs

Castello Jr. was in the starting XI for France's semi-final against Germany, however they quickly found themselves 2-0 down after early goals from Mainz 05's Nelson Weiper (8') and VfB Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade (14').

Germany sat back a bit after going 2-0 up and that allowed France to take control of the game. Our defender had to watch as his attacking teammates - Thierno Barry (Villarreal CF) in particular - were denied by the in-form German goalkeeper Noah Atubolu (SC Freiburg).

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A perfectly-executed counter-attack in injury time allowed Brajan Gruda (Brighton & Hove Albion) to make it 3-0 and book Germany's place in the final, ending Castello's campaign in the process.

Germany face England in the final in Bratislava on Saturday night (21:00 CEST) after they knocked out the Netherlands in the first semi-final. Our new signing Ezechiel Banzuzi was an unused substitute for the Dutch.

Our youngster spoke to us ahead of the U21 European Championship about his role in the team, France's biggest rivals for the title and his personal targets for the tournament.

Castello, what are your goals for the tournament?

"This past season wasn't always easy for me, so my aim is to stay fit and help the team as much as I can. We want to go deep and become European champions."

France are one of the favourites for the title. How will you deal with that tag and who are your biggest rivals?

"France are always one of the favourites but there are a number of good teams at the European Championship, such as England, Spain, Portugal or Germany. It's always a high standard at this tournament. I'm really confident that we can go far and play a good role. Although we're a young team, we've got lots of quality in our squad. A lot of the guys are already important players for their club sides. We just need to show what we're capable of now."

You have already won 20 caps for your nation's U21 side. What role do you have within the team?

"I'm one of the more experienced players in our team and took part in the last U21 European Championship in 2023 in Romania and Georgia. I was also part of the squad that won the silver medal at the Olympics in Paris last year, so I know what it's like to play in an important tournament.I want to be there for the team in important moments and lead from the front. I look to speak a lot with the younger guys in the team and share my experiences with them. I think it's important that I help them to feel good both on and off the pitch."

You will come up against Portugal, Georgia and Poland in your group. What do you make of your opponents?

"Our first game against Portugal will be a real test for us. They have lots of talent in their team and are a big footballing nation in general. We will also need to be at our best against Georgia and Poland. We've watched a number of their games during our preparations - all three sides have quality in their ranks. Our group will not be easy. We need to be fully focused during every match if we want to reach the knockouts."

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